Explore! When you learn something new, it is essential to let your curiosity take the lead. As children, we are born with the spirit of an explorer. Even before we can speak or crawl, our minds are fixed upon exploring every aspect of the world that surrounds us. Looking every which way, vocalizing, grasping, observing,…
Category: life
Iceland with Kids : Part 1
In July 2019, we decided to contribute our own personal 21st century addition to the Icelandic Sagas with an epic family trip to a Iceland. As our family grew, Jess and I had kept our commitment to continue traveling and exploring the world along with our kids. We had also set our sights on Iceland…
Action Potential
The science fiction Culture novels by Iain M. Banks, a series of 10 books published from 1987 to 2012, has become widely known of late, thanks in part to SpaceX naming their autonomous drone ships after some of the sentient Culture ships in memoriam of Banks who passed away in 2013. I first encountered the…
Isle Royale National Park
In July 2022, my friend Brian Headlee and I drove up to Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior for a few days of outdoor adventures, including an excursion to Isle Royal National Park and fishing for the elusive muskellunge. After a long drive from Des Moines, we reached the North Shore and had a great…
Activation Function
In 1998 and 1999, I had the pleasure of working at the Adaptive Computing Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. I was an undergraduate at the time with a major in Computer Science, and the opportunity to do real research in Artificial Intelligence alongside a dynamic and driven…
Hiking Glacier Gorge
In July 2021, my friend Andy and I woke early and began the hike up Glacier Gorge Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. Our ultimate goal for this 12.4 mile hike was to reach the 13,500 ft. summit of Pagoda Mountain that connects to Longs Peak via the Keyboard of the Winds. Hiking so early…
Beethoven’s Ninth
I am always amazed when I have some time to really listen to Beethoven’s Ninth symphony and imagine him composing that beautiful complexity while being stone deaf. May you all master your own craft to such an extent that you can create great work without the full faculty of your senses! Check out this amazing…
Have Coffee Will Travel
Thank you to my friend Brian Headlee for the idea on the Have Coffee Will Travel car kit! Ready to grab and go for any contingency, just add coffee, water, and fire. Equipment List JavaPresse manual burr coffee grinder Hario V60 pour over dripper Hario gooseneck kettle MSR Pocket Rocket 2 stove and fuel (outdoors…
The Evolution of Human Locomotion -or- Wheee!
A few months back, I was walking down an airport concourse when I saw a little girl glide by me. At first I thought she had mastered some form of dark sorcery. Upon further observation, though, I saw that she could accomplish this feat of apparent levitation because she had small wheels in the soles…
Autumn Musings
Some are impressed by the exuberance of spring or the radiant joy of summer. A few even have fallen in love with the quiet beauty of winter. While I love all of the seasons, it is autumn that strikes a chord in my soul. It’s a season in which transition is subtle and yet compelling….