Posts In The “Other” Category
James and I met way back in 1982 at the University of Victoria. Their alumni magazine, the UVic Torch, recently interviewed him for an issue themed “Bold Types”, about UVic graduates who have forged fascinating careers on their own terms, their own way. 1983 in Victoria, Canada James and I met way back in 1982…
Celebrating the Zoox Hayward plant entering its start of production phase. This 220,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing plant in Hayward, California will be capable of assembling 10,000 robotaxis annually with a peak output of 100 units per week. It’s great to see this innovative vehicle fabricated in America and another step closer to scaling…
Seattle made its FIFA World Cup debut this month, cementing its status as a premier soccer city. The host-city selection was a vindication for passionate Seattle fans who were long-disappointed when FIFA bypassed them for the 1994 World Cup. Back then, the options for play were the aged Kingdome or the University of Washington’s Husky…
This year we attended the 90th annual Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. It was our first live golf tournament and we had a spectacular time. Getting a chance to watch anyone who is the top of their sport is always exciting, and observing players drive a ball over 300 yards, placing them with…
When James was living in Ottawa back in the 1970s, he saw pretty much every band that came through town, including Aerosmith, Foreigner, Leslie West and Mountain, Cars, Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Jethro Tull, Yes, Rush, and many others. But he opted to skip on Bruce Springsteen, whose music wasn’t quite his style back then. A…
In early 2024, we began a concerted effort to improve our physical fitness, partly with a goal of maintaining our active lifestyle as we aged. We wanted to keep participating in recreations such as hiking and scuba diving well into the next decade or two. This would require reasonable levels of strength, balance, and cardiovascular…
I love all forms of engineering so it’s a pleasure to have just been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The NAE advances the welfare and prosperity of the nation by…
In a decisive victory, our Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 in Super Bowl LX to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy. It was a low-scoring game, and some would argue a blow-out, but when you are in the building, the excitement is palpable and we were on the edge of our seats the…
We’ve always enjoyed live music and this year an unusually large number of bands we like were touring. Live concerts we saw included: Collective Soul, Eddie Vedder, Shinedown, Bush, The Offspring, and Black Stone Cherry. When Jennifer finally got James to drop his “no musicians over age 70” rule, we also caught great shows by…
This morning Spitfire the Wonder Cat died on route to the vet. He’s been working through kidney problems for five years and heart problems for eight months but neither slowed him down much. He lived for 20 years, 5 months, 28 days and his personality never faltered. He always had lots to say, loved following…
Yesterday we gave a presentation at the Seattle Yacht Club on our trip around the world. We had a great evening, chatting with old friends and new. It’s a wonderful organization. In the talk, we described some of the techniques we used to make the trip more safe and comfortable for longer passages and at…
Yesterday we gave a seminar on our trip around the world at Trawlerfest in Anacortes. We describe some of the techniques we use to make the trip more safe and comfortable for longer passages and at the dock, ranging from watch-keeping and fuel management to living on a 60Hz boat in 50Hz countries. And we…
The re:MARS conference focuses on Machine learning, Automation, Robotics and Space. Similar to the invitation-only MARS conference that it evolved from, the larger and public re:MARS conference brings together industry leaders from across these four domains. It also includes a Tech Showcase where companies can demonstrate their products and ideas. James found the MARS conference…
We are honored and excited to be members of the Cruising Club of America (CCA). The CCA is a diverse community of roughly 1,300 accomplished ocean sailors who have a passion for the less traveled and more challenging routes and for widely sharing their knowledge, experiences, and best practices. The organization, celebrating its centennial this…
We’re big fans of foiling sail racers and, if you like foiling sail craft, you’ll love the SailGP series, often referred to as Formula 1 on the water. These 50ft sail boats are capable of a mind-boggling 50 kts (58 mph, 93 kph) with a crew of 5 and they are absolutely amazing to watch….
We went cruising before we were sufficiently financially comfortable to retire because we know that unexpected medical surprises can stop things quickly and we knew we could always go back to work when we’re older. We’d seen close family and friends miss out on goals and dreams due to unexpected medical issues. Jeremy Chow, the…
MVDirona.com subscribers will have noticed our richer new subscription emails, giving pictures and details for each event. What is less obvious is that you can now select how often you want to receive updates and what you want to be notified about. The bottom of the subscription mail shows the current settings: To add yourself…
It’s 8:21pm on the 27th and what is going to be an exciting finish is near. Wild Oats XI is only 1,200 feet back of the leading and favored boat Comanche. They are just entering the Derwent River for the run to the finish line. As night approaches, the wind in the River Derwent is…