Our Fifty-Plus Year-Old Dishwasher

By the third child my parents invested in a portable dishwasher. In the mid 1960’s, these time-saving appliances had begun to become more popular with households, though not all newly built houses had dishwashers. Hence, the first house my parents bought did not have a dishwasher. As I began attending elementary school in Northport, NY,…

Sing at Mass, Even if Off-Key

While on vacation at Deep Creek Lake together, my family and I attended Mass that Sunday morning at the local church as our week together began. Arriving just in time, we found seats in the front row that placed us just in front of the singers. Three people made up the music ministry–and one of…

Introduction to a Sexy Hard Problem: From the Weak Write Test Mode Saga

Signs the problem is very hard: Before you have worked on it you’re asked a vague question from an IBM engineer during a research review. The solution results in a 10X decrease. The solution can be applied to every single product with that circuitry at your company. Patents are filed. People who can’t make your…