dlatimer's Journal

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Amelia Diane Latimer
7:50am PDT, 15 December 2007
Female
8 Pounds, 3 ounces
19.75 inches

Baby and mother are resting comfortably.

Eloise has had a fun day visiting, thinks her new sister is grand, and is playing with

reconnor.

Current Mood: jubilant
Current Music: "The Rose", Bette Midler

Robot Survey and Gift Drawing
Asking again if anyone here believes they qualify to take a short survey of mine to help with my thesis.

I'm looking for people who were involved in selecting a robotic system for purchase (off the shelf or custom design from a contractor). Specifically, I'm looking at the relative importance and effectiveness of the engineering methods that were used to inform the decisions about which robot to purchase/design. I'm not looking into development practices, but rather the practices on the customer side.

What is acquiring?
- Buying a robot for a research lab that will have to host several different experiments (however, the experiments themselves aren't what I'm looking for) - e.g. recommending to your advisor to buy a pioneer robot because it is within price and you think it will best serve the lab's research needs for the next few years.

- Worked as a customer's acquisition engineering consultant/staff, advising management on which robot to buy to meet an organizational goal - e.g. recommending to management which competing explosive ordinance disposal robot to buy based on a cost-benefit trade-off.

Formality of the "acquisition" isn't the issue. Basically, if you've provided technical input as to which robot someone should buy, then you've got experience relevant to the survey.

If you can take the survey, feel free to click here to take survey (URL is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=jW_2fWTVeH0XHESbZzwy91YQ_3d_3d).

Survey results are anonymous to me (via SurveyMonkey functionality). You data will only be reported in aggregate with other respondents (anticipated minimum sample size is 20 respondents). No identifying information is collected (other than state/country, to see how wide the survey results cover) - no need to identify what project you were working on or what the specific requirements were.

Also, this week (through 11:59pm Pacific on 16-Dec-2007), after you complete the survey, you will be directed a secondary survey (in a different database) that will ask for your email address if you wish to enter a drawing for a 1 in 10 chance for a $15 Starbucks card. I'm going to draw 1 prize per 10 respondents (or fraction thereof) this week.

So, if you have a friend that bought a robot, another student who bought one or more robots for the lab, or similar things - encourage them to take the survey - then, if they win, see if you can get them to take you out for coffee.

Feel free to email or call me (or leave a comment here for me to contact you) if you have any questions.

Robot Acquisition Engineering Methods Survey
LJ community, hear my prayer.

Well, not quite that bad. I've gotten all my approvals to do a survey and would like to see if anyone here believes they qualify to take a short survey of mine to help with my thesis.

I'm looking for people who were involved in selecting a robotic system for purchase (off the shelf or custom design from a contractor). Specifically, I'm looking at the relative importance and effectiveness of the engineering methods that were used to inform the decisions about which robot to purchase/design. I'm not looking into development practices, but rather the practices on the customer side.

What is acquiring?
- Buying a robot for a research lab that will have to host several different experiments (however, the experiments themselves aren't what I'm looking for) - e.g. recommending to your advisor to buy a pioneer robot because it is within price and you think it will best serve the lab's research needs for the next few years.

- Worked as a customer's acquisition engineering consultant/staff, advising management on which robot to buy to meet an organizational goal - e.g. recommending to management which competing explosive ordinance disposal robot to buy based on a cost-benefit trade-off.

Formality of the "acquisition" isn't the issue. Basically, if you've provided technical input as to which robot someone should buy, then you've got experience relevant to the survey.

If you can take the survey, feel free to click here to take survey.

Survey results are anonymous to me (via SurveyMonkey functionality). You data will only be reported in aggregate with other respondents (anticipated minimum sample size is 20 respondents). No identifying information is collected (other than state/country, to see how wide the survey results cover) - no need to identify what project you were working on or what the specific requirements were.

Feel free to email or call me (or leave a comment here for me to contact you) if you have any questions.

Larger family
Officially,

coffeebeast is 12 weeks along with our second child (see pictures here, first is the 9 week sonogram, second was taken yesterday showing some pouch for the baby). Still too early to be specific on the date other than "December 2007".

We're ecstatic. Eloise is going to be a big sister!

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Music from "Superman Returns"

PhD Candidate Latimer
Now introducing...

PhD Candidate Latimer.

Yup, passed my qualification/dissertation proposal!

Wh00t!

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: "Endless Dream", Yes

Medal And Promotion - Captain Tal
Yesterday was a fairly big military day for me. My parents are in town, really to visit Eloise, but the ceremony made a convenient excuse.

coffeebeast planned quite excellent receptions, one coffee and cake style immediately after the ceremony and a wine and tapas style in the evening.

( Air Force Commendation Medal )
( Promotion )

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: National Anthem

IEEE Senior Member
Just notified (phone, new member card, and congrats letter) of my elevation to Senior Member of the IEEE.

That and $3.75 will buy you a tall mocha frappachino at Starbucks. Just kidding.

7.6% of IEEE are Senior Members (another 2-ish % are Fellows or Honorary, the two higher grades) out of 365,000 members. I'm kinda surprised. Yeah, I did have to submit the background materials after being nominated, so I knew it was in the works.

Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: "Going Under", Evancense

AFAM 1OLC - slightly belated
Ms. Eva Podzimek, my local staff director, presented the following achievement medal to me. 1OLC = 1first oak leaf cluster, which indicates this is the first subsequent award (previous award here).

( citation )

Current Mood: Patriotic
Current Music: National Anthem

Eloise Rebecca Latimer
12:27pm PST
Female
7 Pounds, 13 ounces
20.5 inches

Baby and mother are resting comfortably.

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.hexlet.com/]

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: Edelweiss

Baby News
Finally official,

coffeebeast and I are having a baby.

Due date: around 5 April 2006

Synchronized posting!

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Anything to keep me awake for the next 18 years

End of Tour: Honor Guard OIC
Thursday was my last day as the Officer-In-Charge of the Los Angeles Air Force Base Honor Guard. I handed the reins over to 1Lt Gordon Kordyak. Leading up to this event, I organized a base leadership board to interview candidates and select the Honor Guard Management team (chaired by the deputy base commander). I also organized the annual recognition luncheon for the Honor Guard and got all the various awards.

( On the Luncheon )
( On My Tour )

Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: National Anthem

Air Force Achievement Medal
I was awarded the Air Force Achievement Medal today by Col James Painter.

( Citation )

( About the Air Force Achievement Medal )

( My thoughts on this award )

Current Mood: jubilant
Current Music: National Anthem Sung by the SR Quartet

Promoted
( Orders )

( Oath of Office )

For more information on ceremonies, see the Air Force Wives' Page on Ceremonies.

Presiding: Col James V. Painter, USAF
Narrating: Capt Jonathan Vinarskai, USAF
Pinning on: Jennifer Latimer and Diane Latimer
Other family attending: James Latimer
Singers: 2Lt Barbara Golf, 2Lt Nick Daugherty, 1Lt Orlando Rodriguez, Capt Matthew Sicola (all USAF)

Current Mood: chipper
Current Music: National Anthem Sung by a quartet of Officers

In memorial
Thursday, about 3pm EDT, Marion B Latimer passed on.

She was a woman from a different age, with different views. Sometimes those views clashed with this age, but she lived happily.

She measured life by sharing ice cream with her children and grand children, and by the number of good meals spent with family and friends. She didn't pay any mind to the numbers, not on the scale or to her blood sugar - she was a RN; she knew why those numbers should be important to her; she just set her own priorities.

She rejoins DeWitt, her husband, after many years of separation.

Memorial service will be Saturday, 19 February.

I'm glad I got to see her over the holidays in December. I'm more in the mood to celebrate the life she had than to mourn.

Ed: Marion was my grandmother - my dad's mother.

Current Mood: peaceful
Current Music: "Carry on", Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Military Funeral Honors
I commanded the final funeral honors for the following individuals.

29-11-2004 - SrA Thomas L Washington, I
30-11-2004 - Maj Robert V Brower Sr
MSgt Gus Franklin, Sr
01-12-2004 - Sgt Richard L Granoski
09-12-2004 - Maj Joseph F McLellan
MSgt Nelson Hersh

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.hexlet.com/]

Current Mood: Somber
Current Music: Taps

Professional Certification, DONE
I passed by CSDP exam this morning.

CSDP = Certified Software Development Professional

CSDP is put on by IEEE as peer recognition of obtaining a specific level of experience and familiarity with a body of knowledge. It's kinda like getting a PE done, but there isn't any PE for software engineering yet (you don't need to be licensed by the state to call yourself a software engineer... well, except in Texas).

More info is at http://www.computer.org/certification.

I'll have my little certificate-thingie in about 4 weeks.

Feels good knowing to verify that I do honestly know as much as I (and others) think I know about software engineering.

Current Mood: geeky
Current Music: Random Floyd

Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal
I was auditing my records and discovered that, somehow, I was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Normally this is not how someone finds out that they were awarded a medal - but it works for my first one. The typical route is that you're told to bring service dress uniform to the next unit commander's call, where the commander presents you the medal and "pins" it onto you.

"This medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their Reserve Components, who subsequent to 31 December 1992, perform outstanding volunteer community service of a sustained, direct and consequential nature." (from current regulations)

A decent write-up on the medal is located here, after you get past the ordering of replacement stuff. Apparently George Bush (the elder) created this award back in 1993.

Once I find out more details about my specific citation, I will post the citation/whatnot.

Current Mood: happy
Current Music: USAF Song

Various Funeral Honors Conducted
I was the detail commander for the following funerals:

Jan 22- SSgt Melvin Martin, USAF (vet) ( notes )
Jan 23 - Cpl Tom Boynes, US Army Air Forces (vet)
Apr 19 - 1Lt Marion Kennedy, USAF (medical retired)
Apr 21 - Unclaimed Veterans ( List )
Apr 22 - Maj Esther Hermanski, USAF (ret) ( notes )
Apr 25 - LtCol Frank Novi, USAF (ret) ( notes )
Apr 26 - TSgt Deleon, USAF (vet)
Apr 30 - Cpl Virgil Long, US Army Air Corps (vet)
May 1 - PFC Robert Blair, US Army Air Corps (vet)

Current Mood: Honored
Current Music: Taps

Military: I'm now OIC of 61ABG/HG
Just announced today at the annual honor guard banquet, I'm the new OIC (Officer in Charge) of the Los Angeles AFB Honor Guard.

I met the leadership board last week. It went well. Apparently much better than expected. Given the field I was up against, I didn't expect to get the top office. I've got 2 flight commanders, an NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge - day to day operations), the flights each have an NCOIC, plus a team trainer on my staff. Overall, the team is about 40 people on an augmentee (part time) basis.

For the next year, I'm their OIC. Dang. It never rains, but it pours.

And I still have my normal, scientist, duties to perform. So this, with my PhD program should make for a very, very full year.

coffeebeast got to come to the lunch and see me installed. She's excited, and just as concerned as I am about the additional responsibility.

Current Mood: surprised
Current Music: It's a Small World - as played by the ice cream truck

USC Day
I accepted my offer to USC today.

I went to USC today to meet with my advisor Prof. Andrew Howard. A twist for me, he is relatively new to advising students - unlike my MS advisors (Prof Garrett is the assoc dean for CIT and has a horde of grad students, as does Prof Whitaker - err Red). He's concerned about my part time status, but I think I've got him convinced I can do this. We're currently looking for a small, get my hands dirty again in robotics, project that I can start in the short term (like in the next few weeks).

The USC campus is beautiful (although don't go too far off campus without a 9mm or M-16 and a flak jacket). Green spaces, beautiful architecture, fairly good resources for the places I saw.

For all you really old CMU dogs - I walked past the USC UCC. Yes, USC still has a University Computing Center - and they call it the UCC! Not Cyert!

Oddity of the campus: the registar and cashier offices are on OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CAMPUS. Really, does that make any sense? It does make for a good walking tour. Hopefully I don't have to do that walking tour too often.

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Jim Cocre, "You don't mess around with Jim"