Once in a while, I'll watch a DVD on my 17" laptop in bed with it on my stomach. The laptop's wide screen makes for a personal and immersive presentation. Tonight, my movie was Oliver Stone's World Trade Center. The film focuses on the story of the two police officers who survived being buried alive in the rubble of the collapsed towers their familes and key figures involved in their rescue.

It was a relief part way through the digitally reconstructed scenes of pain and destruction to be able to turn my laptop screen aside to notice my dog sleeping at my feet and the rest of the quiet bedroom (the fam was sleeping in the room behind me).

I could think back for a moment to my memories of that day, and the many scenes of Lower Manhattan when I worked there a year later. Though vivid in my mind, my 9/11-related memories and life experiences are feeble compared to the magnitude of those who were directly involved.

- mike lee, greenville, ohio

...in front of James and the Giant Peach on a new plasma screen.

- mike lee - greenville, ohio

These aren't new, but I had my first encounter with Sparks light and 12oz. sugar free Red Bull at a gas station in Dayton, Ohio.

- mike lee

Westward across Ohio for the next five hours.

- mike lee

After five hours driving in a rented minivan, we're spending the night at the Holiday Inn in Uniontown, PA. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we'll do the last five hours to Greenville, Ohio.

- mike lee

I just finished watching Robert Scoble's latest video blog, Photowalking #4 with Flickr's Heather Champ and Thomas Hawk a digital photographer and CEO of Zooomr.

While Thomas spoke a bit, Heather was the main guest. She talked about how to modify the old Polaroid SX-70 to take the currently available 600 film. She also showed off her recently acquired Leica M6 rangefinder camera with Summacron 35mm f.2 lens. That camera and lens camera goes for a cool $2500 used.

Then she led Robert and Thomas on a walk through the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park. Though the audio and video were rough in spots, I thought video was very informative.

Now I need to catch up on all the previous episodes.

- mike lee - wheaton, md

Today was ease out day before the start of my vacation tomorrow. Possessed by the spirit of Martha, I gave out candy canes at my team lunch and at the management meeting.

But the highlight of the day was Dr. John Maeda's visit. Besides getting a lab update and talking about business, John pulled out the OLPC Children's Machine XO (a.k.a the $100 Laptop) that was recently given to him. I had a couple minutes with it as it was passed around the conference table. It's actually heavier than the mockups I've held before. The dual mode screen was lacking in contrast, but perhaps the device was in a power-saving mode. I managed to take a few closeup photos. It's really only been a few months since we had the wooden model in our offices--quite an achievement to today's working device.

After work, we retrieved our holiday girl from daycare. She's pictured here holding the program guide from her class field trip to the White House. No, Dubya wasn't home.

- mike lee - washington, dc

Danger Hiptop

A daddy's blog

TextAmerica

Moblogging

- mike lee - mosaic cuisine & cafe - rockville, md

No it's my daughter wiping her coat across the floor of Penn Station in New York City. Cinderella lasted about two hours, and then we went to The Breadstix Cafe for a while. Now we're on the train heading home.

- mike lee