From the disheveled desk of Nathan Bak

Several years ago I was introduced to xkcd which is drawn by Randall Munroe.  I believe it was in a comment on Slashdot that basically said “Obligatory xkcd reference: link_to_some_xkcd_comic“.  It was amusing and I went back to “1” and worked my way forward.  I added xkcd to my feed reader and became a regular follower of the strip.

Many xkcd comics follow the same formula used by most comics in which multiple characters converse and by the end the reader has hopefully noticed something humorous.  In the case of xkcd, the humor is often rather nerdy.  I must confess that it was weeks or months before I discovered that every xkcd comic contains some mouseover text.  This means that when the mouse cursor is hovering over the comic, additional text appears which can take the joke even further.  So I had to go back and read all the comics again and remember to hover the cursor over each so I could get the whole xkcd experience.  In many cases the additional text takes a funny comic and makes it even funnier.  In other cases it takes a comic that doesn’t seem super funny and twists it into something hilarious.

Randall Munroe also has a serial (and book) called “What If” where he publishes “Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions”.  Along with a technical explanation and general wit, the text is interspersed with illustrations.  These illustrations and the accompanying mouseover text not only help to convey the message, but also make the article seem less stuffy.

There are other intelligent, funny people besides Randall Munroe who create comics.  I read their comics and often chuckle when I finish.  Now, whether I’m reading on the web or in print, I always have a strong inclination to mouseover the comic and get the “rest”, but instead I’m left hanging . . .

Last week Boy #2 used his hard-earned savings to buy a little quadcopter.  With practice, he has become rather adept at piloting rather than crashing and has had a lot of fun.  But what intrigued me the most was that it contains a camera which can take still pictures or video.  Since I didn’t think it would be nice to take over the boy’s new toy and since it is was my birthday, I decided could buy my own toy.

It’s not easy to jump into the world of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).  I quickly discovered that there are too many choices out there.  You can spend anywhere from  less than $20 to several thousands of dollars.  There are many different types which have various characteristics and strengths.  To further complicate things, there are recent laws and regulations affecting the use of UAVs.

Since I’m interested in the video/photography side of things and wanted something easy to fly and with a decent camera–that narrowed down the field a lot.  Also, though not a hard requirement, I thought that supporting a FPV (First person View) would be neat.  I did a fair amount of reading reviews and looking at different options in my “few hundred dollar” price range.  If I already had a good camera like a GoPro, I might have gone with a Phantom, but since I needed a camera, I ended up going with a Parrot Bebop.

I knew I would want to play with my new toy as soon as I got it, so I started my preflight tasks before it was delivered.

First was all the legal stuff.  Because the Bebop weighs more than .55 pounds I had to register with the FAA.  I installed the FAA B4UFLY app which told me I was less than 5 miles from an airport and needed to notify them of my intent to fly.  Of course they don’t publish the telephone number of the tower, so it took a little web searching and e-mailing to find the correct contact information.  I then sent an e-mail containing the checklist information from Guidance for UAS ATCT Notification Calls.  For the time and duration of operation I said “Daylight hours” and gave the dates for spring break.  I didn’t receive a response, but the airport doesn’t approve flights, they can only deny flights.  Since I’m more than 4 miles from the airport and won’t be going above 400 feet, I doubt they care, but if they do they know how to contact me.

Next I installed FreeFlight 3 onto my phone.  I tried playing with the app, but there isn’t much you can do without something to control.  So then I just had to wait for my Bebop to be delivered.

Once it was delivered, the first step was to get a battery charging.  Also, I wrote my FAA UAS Certificate number onto the Bebop with a Sharpie.  For my first flight I wanted to try it indoors, so I attached the propeller protectors.  I was then ready to try to fly.

It took a few minutes to figure out how to connect to the Bebop.  My phone could see the Bebop wifi network and it connected, but when I started FreeFlight, it didn’t connect up.  It turns out the problem as my phone had “Smart network switch” enabled so it would see that the Bebop wasn’t connected to the Internet and automatically switch over to the home wifi which does have Internet access.  Once I disabled “Smart network switch” I was able to connect.

After trying to fly a bit indoors and crashing into Boy#2, it was time to take off the propeller protectors and head outside.  The Bebop is fairly easy to control and all the kids took a turn.  It started to rain a bit and so I was about to finish up for the evening, but then a rainbow appeared.  I flew the Bebop up to about 100ft (I had the Bebop configured to go no higher than 30 meters and took it up to that max) and took a few pictures; one of which is at the top of this post.  By then the rain was increasing and the battery charged was diminished, so it was time to land and return home.

Yesterday I learned that as of 1 April I will no longer be employed with IBM.  Instead, I am being given an opportunity to work for Persistent Systems Limited.  The transaction is vaguely described here.  I’ll still be doing pretty much the same job, but as a contractor rather than an IBM employee.

While sitting in various meetings hearing about what’s going on, most of the discussion was about the business side of things–apparently it’s a win-win for both companies.  While hearing about it, it made me think of the machine that goes ping.  It is apparently very clever to lease it back from the company they sold it to and everyone gets excited about that.  My situation may be similar to the machine that goes ping, but in some ways I felt more like the woman in labor who is being ignored.

Today I got some more information.  While this change is a surprise, it seems like both IBM and Persistent are making an effort to make this a good opportunity for me.  I’m optimistic that it will be a win-win-win:  a win for both companies and a win for me as well.

I like fish tacos.  Because Boy #1 has a fish allergy, we don’t have them at home, but when fish tacos are an option at at restaurant I’m likely to order them.  While attending grad school in Boulder, Colorado a favorite, cheap place to eat was Wahoo’s Fish Taco so I frequently got my fix.  Wahoo’s was sadly missed after moving to Portland, Oregon, but I still managed to find fishy taco goodness in various other places.  Then Allan’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant opened up nearby and that changed everything.

One thing I like about working from home is that I’m able to have mini lunch dates with my wife.  Even if I just pop out from my home office for 15 minutes, it’s always pleasant to sit, eat, talk, and just spend time with her.  For one such date, in 2009 I think, my wife decided to try out the close, new restaurant.  Knowing my proclivity for fish tacos, she got two take out orders and brought them home.  The verdict: Allan’s fish tacos are so good.

It’s been a few years.  I still occasionally order fish tacos at other restaurants.  Good fish tacos at good restaurants.  Fish tacos of which I can think of no complaint.  There is no reason why I shouldn’t be completely satisfied with my choice, and yet there is always the nagging thought in the back of my mind that the fish tacos just weren’t as good as what I would have gotten at Allan’s.

It gets worse.  Because Allan’s has such wonderful fish tacos and is so convenient, eating at Allan’s or getting takeout is not something that would be considered atypical.  Some people say that Allan’s offers various splendid choices, but I wouldn’t know.  I always get the fish tacos.  I sometimes look at the menu and make a pretense of trying something new, but it doesn’t happen.  Sometimes I have tilapia instead of salmon on the tacos, or pinto beans instead of black beans on the side, but I always get fish tacos.  Were I to do otherwise would just lead to further disappointment:  either disappointment for not ordering fish tacos and getting something I like less, or disappointment of getting something even better and then never getting fish tacos again.

So now fish tacos are mostly ruined for me.  If I order them anywhere but Allan’s, I’m filled but not fulfilled.  When I go to Allan’s, I must order the fish tacos.  So thank you, Allan’s, for mostly ruining fish tacos for me.

Shortly after joining IBM, I sent an inquiry to an IBMer.  I received a timely response from her and noticed in the e-mail signature was the title “Master Inventor“.  This was the first time I had heard the term and it evoked images of a job where one wears a lab coat and perchance even goggles.  I thanked the sender for the information and mentioned that I thought Master Inventor was a cool title.  She then gave a brief response  explaining the Master Inventor title and how she got there and how I could get started on the patenting path.  I do not remember who it was, but I am grateful that she took the time to provide a nice, personal response.  That is what started me down the road of turning ideas into inventions in a formal way.

About eight years later, I was honored to be named an IBM Master Inventor.  While I didn’t receive a monogrammed lab coat or goggles (sob), I did receive a nicely framed certificate that now hangs above my disheveled desk.  Less obvious than the cool title is the learning and experience I gained.  One of the things I learned is that ideas are cheap; I mean that in different ways.

Ideas are cheap.  You’ve got to work to make them valuable.  I’ve “lost” some good ideas because I didn’t take effort to write them up, define things more clearly, and actually do something with the idea.

Ideas are cheap.  Anyone can have them.  It doesn’t cost years of study or practice to have an idea.  It doesn’t take expertise.  Often I’ve heard terrific ideas from people with no knowledge of the technical area and having just heard about a problem to be solved.  It’s important to listen to the ideas of other people.

Ideas are cheap.  In brainstorming some say there aren’t any bad ideas, but there are.  The funniest of my bad ideas come when I’m half asleep and somehow I convince myself that I’ve come up with something brilliant.  Fortunately, I’ve learned not to get too attached to bad ideas–I can throw them away because they are cheap.

Ideas are cheap.  It’s OK to share ideas with others–it’s better than hoarding them.  This is especially true for ideas that aren’t accompanied by any action–perhaps someone else will see your good idea through.  In my case, my employer has first dibs on my relevant ideas (and I am compensated for them).  But ideas that are unrelated to or unwanted by IBM I am free to share.  So perhaps a future posting will describe the invention I built so that I could dance my password.

Ideas are cheap.  So try to have a lot of ideas.  I played paintball once and learned the concept of “accuracy by volume”.  If you cover the arena with paint you’re likely to also get your opponents.  If you have a lot of ideas, some of them are bound to be good.

Ideas are cheap, but I’ve gained a lot working with them.  So now when I submit my tax return (as I recently did), under occupation I specify Master Inventor.  Perhaps someone in the IRS is imagining that I wear goggles . . .