Lee.org

Just a few moments ago, McSAW was born!

We put together a fantastic playlist for the wedding! Thanks Zeke for making it happen!

It’s in 3 sections, Cocktails, Dinner, and Dance.

I am starting school in 2 weeks. I need a car for the commute. Here’s what I’m looking for

• Low cost of ownership over the next 3 years while I’m in school. Maybe $13k used
• good MPG (100 mile round trip commute)
• comfortable for passengers to study in
• ok for an infant in the back
• probably a hatchback for hauling stuff

Top contenders right now are:

• Honda Fit. I sat in a 2015 and the back seat didn’t have enough clearance for me. I think the older models are ok but have to check
• Mazda 3
• Honda Civic
• Nissan Versa
• Ford Fiesta

What do YOU recommend I test drive?

Here are some cars I knocked off the list

• Toyota Prius. The A-pillar makes a terrible blind spot for me. I keep nearly hitting pedestrians in Megan’s Prius. :-(
• Honda Insight. I’m way too tall to sit in the back seat :-(
• Toyota Matrix. Terrible visibility in the front

It seems a lot of  newer cars get better MPG… a 2008 Mazda 3 or Fit gets 33MPG, the same cars in 2015 get 40, saving about $400/year in gas!

Megan and I can’t thank Shin enough for presenting to us this incredible video of our wedding!

I got these really nice illuminated switches from Sparkfun to control the Rubens’ Tube I built with a friend. Wiring them up was strangely non-obvious so I figured I’d post a schematic here.

For about 2 years I had an HTC EVO 3D phone on Sprint. It took totally groovy 3D pictures! Unfortunately, Sprint service in the east bay totally sucks so I dumped it for my Motorola Moto X (which totally rocks). The phone had a lenticular screen which should show 3D photos and video pretty darn well! It’s sad that I now have no really good way to view the 3D photos I took except “wigglevision”.

Megan and I will be on our honeymoon in Canada until July 11! I won’t have phone or text but my email and megan’s phone will work.

Attention makers (and those who love them!): watch this terrific 25 minute presentation by Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk. He talks about 3D printing, designing and manufacturing with help from computers, biological manufacturing, designing with infinite computing power, and related topics.

This is the future of making things.

(via Swissnex San Francisco and the O’Reilly Solid 2014 Conference)

Today really is Maker Day!

(via this whitehouse.gov link)

Presidential Proclamation — National Day of Making, 2014

NATIONAL DAY OF MAKING, 2014

——-

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Our Nation is home to a long line of innovators who have fueled our economy and transformed our world. Through the generations, American inventors have lit our homes, propelled humanity into the skies, and helped people across the planet connect at the click of a button. American manufacturers have never stopped chasing the next big breakthrough. As a country, we respond to challenge with discovery, determined to meet our great tests while seeking out new frontiers. During the National Day of Making, we celebrate and carry forward this proud tradition.

Today, more and more Americans are gaining access to 21st century tools, from 3D printers and scanners to design software and laser cutters. Thanks to the democratization of technology, it is easier than ever for inventors to create just about anything. Across our Nation, entrepreneurs, students, and families are getting involved in the Maker Movement. My Administration is increasing their access to advanced design and research tools while organizations, businesses, public servants, and academic institutions are doing their part by investing in makerspaces and mentoring aspiring inventors.

I am committed to helping Americans of all ages bring their ideas to life. Alongside our partners, my Administration is getting tens of thousands of young people involved in making. We are supporting an apprenticeship program for modern manufacturing and encouraging startups to build their products here at home. Because science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are essential to invention, we launched a decade-long national effort to train 100,000 excellent STEM teachers. And we are expanding STEM AmeriCorps so that this summer, 18,000 low-income students will have learning opportunities in these vital fields.

As we observe this day, I am proud to host the first-ever White House Maker Faire. This event celebrates every maker — from students learning STEM skills to entrepreneurs launching new businesses to innovators powering the renaissance in American manufacturing. I am calling on people across the country to join us in sparking creativity and encouraging invention in their communities.

Today, let us continue on the path of discovery, experimentation, and innovation that has been the hallmark not only of human progress, but also of our Nation’s progress.  Together, let us unleash the imagination of our people, affirm that we are a Nation of makers, and ensure that the next great technological revolution happens right here in America.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 18, 2014, as National Day of Making. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that encourage a new generation of makers and manufacturers to share their talents and hone their skills.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA