For those of you who are completely ignorant of the significance of March 14, today is Pi-Einstein Day (sometimes shortened to just Pi Day by the luddites and laymen). It is a big holiday among the geek world, and even the U.S. Government has recognized its importance.

First off, today is Albert Einstein's birthday. That alone makes it worth celebrating, as the great man not only developed the theory of relativity that he is famous for, but also provided proof of the existence of atoms with a...

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Thank you to everyone who has participated in my websites and blogs over the past year, and thank you to those who continue to support my many ventures, projects, and ideas. May you all have a very happy holiday and a prosperous and healthy new year.


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As a species, humans are about to experience an important milestone, although few will make note of it. But in my ongoing efforts to bring science and technology to the masses, I feel it is my duty to celebrate this event.

For the first time in history, a man made object is leaving our solar system. (I refer here of course to a material object - man made radio waves have been travelling into deep space for decades).

The Voyager 1 probe was launched in 1977 to study the outer planets of our sola...

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There is a rumor circulating through the particle physics community that this afternoon the Fermilab particle accelerator team is going to announce preliminary results that indicate they may have discovered a new fundamental particle.

The rumors are claiming that the data shows a massive particle which is decaying into light quarks (which are the ones that form all of the protons and neutrons in the Universe), which adds to the excitement. The only particle that theorists have strong motivatio...
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I just heard the good news last night - the Large Hadron Collider has finally reached their goal of 7 TeV per beam of energy!

But first a little background....

For the last several decades, the primary method of exploring sub-atomic particle physics has been to build a large machine that accelerates common particles, like electrons or protons, to very high energies and then smash them together inside of a special detector. The result is a mini-explosion of new particles which last for a fractio...
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Happy Robby Burns Day! 

For all those who are Scottish, of Scottish descent, or just wish they were, it is a day to celebrate the unique quality and culture of the Scots. As a proud 1/4 Scot, I shall be out enjoying a dinner of haggis with tatties and neeps (as my great-grandmother apparently called them) and to the scorn and dismay of my neighbours, I may even fit in a little practice on my bagpipes! (I am getting better though – at least now it doesn't sound like I am disemboweling small a...
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Well, my last posting was a review of everything that I have accomplished in the last year. This posting is a listing of what I hope to accomplish in the coming year. Check back in 365 days to see if I was right...

1. I am going to try to get out more. Those who know me know that 99% of the time I can be found in front of one of many computer systems or at my robotics bench. Apparently there is this new thing called real reality - just like virtual reality except it actually exists! So hopefully ...

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It is Rememberance Day again, a time for all of us to take some time out of our busy lives and remember all of the men and women who have defended this country and protected the innocent around the world. They have done a lot for us, and too often are forgotten when they are no longer needed.

I always like to take this opportunity to think about all of my family members who have served, and how rough it was for them and how much they have sacrificed.

First on the list is my grandpa, Ernie F...

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HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

 It's Fathers day again, and day set aside to celebrate the special memories of our father's or grandfather's, or even a kind uncle. Many years ago I saw this article, so I am reprinting it here:

Everyone remembers Mother's day easily, but I think they sometimes forget the special role a father has in a child's life.

Who else would let you climb a tree, fall out, and try again because it "builds character"?

Who else can see the beauty of a rusted out piece of junk that might ...
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That's right, it is finally here again - International Geek Appreciation Day! 

It is also known in some circles as Towel Day due to the influence of Douglas Adams, so everyone must carry their towel around for the day. In other groupings it is known as the 33rd anniversary of the opening of the first Star Wars movie.

Personally, I will be celebrating tonight with my dearest robots, and maybe giving them gifts of new algorithms for their programming.

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I just got back from my grandmother's funeral, and from the celebrations of the family. (Photos of the event are posted at my facebook account.)

As I wrote before, my grandmother was 87 years old and suffering from many ailments. So although it is sad to see anyone in the family pass away, when they have had a full life and can no longer enjoy themselves it is perhaps a blessing for them to be released. 

 I was glad to see that the funeral was held as a celebration of life, and that the entire ...
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I just got back after celebrating Robbie Burn's day with family and friends. There was far too much haggis, potato, and turnips to eat, so I may need a few days to recover from the feast. At least the bagpipe music was played better than my skill level, so I won't be deaf tomorrow...
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Happy Canada Day!

I am not sure what my plans are for today, but I will post photos later...

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