John K. Davis, Independent Distributor, SendOutCards

Anticipation

Janet and I are getting excited about our visit to Arizona in a few weeks for a Davis family reunion. This will be our first gathering since Mom died. It will be good to be with my sibs for awhile.

The week before we go to Arizona I will be spending a few days in the Bay area with my boys, Jared and Matt. At age 33, Jared has discovered his anger about my divorce with his mother when he was age 11 and 12 and we will be dealing with his pent-up emotions that are now rising to the surface. I am the bad guy at this point. I will be offering heart-felt apologies and gratitude for his honesty. Hopefully, good things will come from an open airing of the issues.

Matt is about to receive the first substantial distribution from the settlement annuity that was setup after he was shot in the face at age 11 by a friend who was playing with his police officer father's handgun. He wants me to assist him in managing the funds.

Selling Scopeware is going very well. I have so much fun showing the product to people and watching them get excited about the magic. My business is likely to blossom this year. I will be hiring an assistant soon. This is an exciting time; the beginning of an entrepreneurial success.

An old friend came to town recently, Kent Larrabee. He was an active member of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego awhile back. He is an interesting person and a good friend. We have been having a great time getting reconnected.

Janet is a bit uncomfortable about Kent's arrival. I have been assisting him as he works through issues of finding a place and settling in. He stayed with us for a couple of days. My time with Kent has sometimes meant less time with Janet, and she is used to my total attention when she isn't working. She is being a good sport about it, but I will have to be more careful to keep my friendship with Kent from interfering with my loving life partnership.

Stephanie has our little granddaughter, Sydney, rising in the oven. We will see Steph in March during our trip to Chicago for a law conference and Janet will be going to visit again in May when the baby comes.

Jon is preparing for another international adventure. This time he will be living in St. Petersburg, Russia, teaching English. He will be leaving in May, so his attention is on making as much money as he can now so he can endure the subsistence-level lifestyle of an expatriate professor in the former Soviet Union.

Emerging Technologies

MIT's Technology Review has an article about the ten emerging technologies they think will have the greatest impact on reality over the next ten years and the innovators behind each of the technologies. See if you agree with their choices:

http://techreview.com/articles/print_version/emerging0203.asp

The Age (one of Australia?s top technology news sources) has a fun article on nanotechnology. It details some of the new products that will soon be available:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/19/1042911268269.html

Talking about new nanotechnology products, how about a 3D printer that prints living tissue! Three-dimensional tubes of living tissue have been printed using modified desktop printers filled with suspensions of cells instead of ink. The work is a first step towards printing complex tissues or even entire organs. You will want to read this article recently published at NewScientist.com:

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292

Michelin (the tire manufacturer) has announced that it will embed RFID transmitters into its tires. The article states that "the microchip stores the tire's unique ID, which can be associated with the vehicle identification number" and, in turn, the owner's contact information. Check here for more details:

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/269/1/1/

Emerging Technologies

MIT's Technology Review has an article about the ten emerging technologies they think will have the greatest impact on reality over the next ten years and the innovators behind each of the technologies. See if you agree with their choices:

http://techreview.com/articles/print_version/emerging0203.asp

The Age (one of Australia?s top technology news sources) has a fun article on nanotechnology. It details some of the new products that will soon be available:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/19/1042911268269.html

Talking about new nanotechnology products, how about a 3D printer that prints living tissue! Three-dimensional tubes of living tissue have been printed using modified desktop printers filled with suspensions of cells instead of ink. The work is a first step towards printing complex tissues or even entire organs. You will want to read this article recently published at NewScientist.com:

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993292

Michelin (the tire manufacturer) has announced that it will embed RFID transmitters into its tires. The article states that "the microchip stores the tire's unique ID, which can be associated with the vehicle identification number" and, in turn, the owner's contact information. Check here for more details:

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/269/1/1/

Ubiquitous Identification

The potential ramifications of identity technologies continue to emerge. I believe that RFID is the technology that has the greatest potential to significantly change things in the near-term, but it is only one technology in a vast sea of identity tools.

Fingerprint, eye and face scanners, DNA testing and other technologies that can be used to identify people are rapidly being adopted to solve problems. For instance, did you hear about the school in London that has installed a retinal scanner to identify students and charge them for lunch? The headmaster is concerned that if students are forced to pay for their lunches in cash the poor ones who receive food for free could be stigmatized.

There are also a number of technologies being developed that can identify things. Were you aware that an identification system that detects gunshots in real time, determines the make and model of gun, the precise location of the gun when it was fired and the direction of each shot will be rolled out this year? The system is called the On Alert Gunshot Detection System. It costs about $25,000 per square mile to deploy the sensors involved.

By the way, a hint for those who might be feeling a little paranoid: If you purchase a product that contains an RFID chip (read anything) and you would just as soon it was not tracked, you can microwave it for three seconds and it will kill the chip's ability to function.

For a short article about the ACLU's take on all of this go here:

http://news.com.com/2102-1023-980964.html

Printing Stuff

I have been monitoring the progress of three-dimensional printing technology for sometime now. As we learn to manufacture items using this technique we are preparing and practicing for molecular manufacturing in the not-too-distant future. We are rushing toward a new industrial revolution that will drastically change reality.

A significant step in the process was announced in New Scientist recently. UC Berkeley engineers are now developing 3-D printers that allow fully assembled electric and electronic gadgets to be printed. You can read the article at:

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993238

New Vision

Vision is a powerful new tool that allows a user to quickly and easily search their "stuff" to find what they need. Scopeware is server-based and designed for businesses. Vision is desktop-based and is designed for individuals. Like Scopeware, Vision is much more than a search engine. Unlike other search utilities that present the results in a simple list, Vision presents a rich and visual representation of information.

Vision provides you with a single view into all the information on your personal PC. All your Microsoft Office documents, PDFs, pictures, music, text files, email and more are displayed in one location. No longer will you need to organize your information or use a variety of search methods in order to find your "stuff".

If you have a computer running Windows 2000 or Windows XP with Outlook or Outlook Express then you can experience Vision today by downloading a free beta version of the software. To try Vision, click on this link: http://www.scopeware.com/news/pr_visionprofbeta_1-7-03.html.
To read the company press release about Vision, click on this link: http://www.scopeware.com/news/pr_visionprofbeta_1-7-03.html.
To read independent reviews of Vision, click on these links: http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/5771757p-6741996c.html
and http://digitalmass.boston.com/news/globe_tech/upgrade/2003/0106.html
To read David Gelernter's vision for Vision, click on this link:
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/story/0,10801,77335,00.html

Beginning a New Year

I had a wonderful vacation over the holidays. Our travels included a reunion with friends made when I was at Arizona State University over thirty years ago. We also enjoyed a lovely visit with our daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Today is my first day back in the saddle.

It is exciting to begin another calendar year. 2002 was great, and I feel very good about the prospects for 2003.

A new gadget is in the mail. I am selling my Ericsson Bluetooth Headset on eBay and replacing it with a new Jabra FreeSpeak Bluetooth Wireless Headset.

My new T-Mobile wireless phone service impresses me. Cingular was becoming a pain--limited hours for customer service, I was unable to receive calls at my home and roaming charges were costly. T-Mobile cut my monthly cost in half with unlimited calls nationwide; a deal that I could not resist despite the hassle of a new number. Cingular would not let me use their GPRS service (I purchased my phone in Europe), but T-Mobile has no such restriction.

In any event, now that I have excellent quality connections with my R520m wireless phone no matter where I am, the convenience of a Bluetooth headset is a big plus. I sit the phone on a table outside my office entryway and wear the headset all day to make and receive calls. The hands-free convenience is great around the office, house and in the car.

I expect the Jabra headset to be more comfortable than the Ericsson--my ear has been a bit uncomfortable by the end of the day. The Jabra is smaller, lighter and is engineered for comfort, so I have high hopes.

Happy New Year!

Beginning a New Year

I had a wonderful vacation over the holidays. Our travels included a reunion with friends made when I was at Arizona State University over thirty years ago. We also enjoyed a lovely visit with our daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Today is my first day back in the saddle.

It is exciting to begin another calendar year. 2002 was great, and I feel very good about the prospects for 2003.

A new gadget is in the mail. I am selling my Ericsson Bluetooth Headset on eBay and replacing it with a new Jabra FreeSpeak Bluetooth Wireless Headset.

My new T-Mobile wireless phone service impresses me. Cingular was becoming a pain--limited hours for customer service, I was unable to receive calls at my home and roaming charges were costly. T-Mobile cut my monthly cost in half with unlimited calls nationwide; a deal that I could not resist despite the hassle of a new number. Cingular would not let me use their GPRS service (I purchased my phone in Europe), but T-Mobile has no such restriction.

In any event, now that I have excellent quality connections with my R520m wireless phone no matter where I am, the convenience of a Bluetooth headset is a big plus. I sit the phone on a table outside my office entryway and wear the headset all day to make and receive calls. The hands-free convenience is great around the office, house and in the car.

I expect the Jabra headset to be more comfortable than the Ericsson--my ear has been a bit uncomfortable by the end of the day. The Jabra is smaller, lighter and is engineered for comfort, so I have high hopes.

Happy New Year!

Lake Michigan Moments

Janet and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Midwest over the holidays. We traveled to Chicago to begin the vacation and stay with Bob and Mary Stolper for a few days.

Bob and Mary were my good friends when we all attended Arizona State University in the early 1970s. Bob and I were both insurance majors in the ASU Business College and we were active together in the ASU Insurance Society. Mary was a music major at ASU. A click formed quickly--Bob and I joined with Roger Brown and Bill Huddleston, each a son of an active State Farm Insurance agent, to become fast friends. Upon graduation each started their career as State Farm Insurance Agents; Bob and Roger in Illinois, Bill and me in Arizona. Bob, Roger and Bill continue in this capacity today (Bill is actually a State Farm manager now). Mary is an accomplished flutist who plays with the Chicago Symphony and at other venues.

Bob and Mary live in Elmhurst about fifteen minutes from O'Hare airport. They have a beautiful home that includes an awesome guest room suite. We enjoyed a Greek dinner at a downtown Chicago restaurant a few hours after our arrival and Bob drove us on a quick tour of the city before we returned to Elmhurst for the evening.

The next morning we left for the Stolper's "log cabin" on Lake Michigan. We drove a short distance into Indiana to Dune Acres, turned toward the lake about two miles from the highway and pulled up to a beautiful mansion. The front yard was a beach on the water; the back yard was a wooded hill that extended into a forest.

The two-story five-bedroom home was originally built in the 1920s. Bob and Mary purchased the home in the 1980s for a pittance because the lake was at a historically high level and there was great concern that the property could be damaged by a swell during a large storm. A lot of work went into renovating and expanding the log structure and building a rock wall beneath the driveway that runs between the house and beach. It now stands as a luxurious manor with the lake at a normal level. It is a very valuable piece of real estate, and an ideal place for a getaway.

Roger Brown and his friend, Maryann, joined us that afternoon for a hike through the forest. Roger and I had a good reunion. Janet and Mary had a long conversation during our trek. The Stolper's dog, Boomer, had a great time exploring the woods, but was unable to stand that evening as a consequence. Roger and Maryann headed back to the city that evening. That night Bob, Mary, Janet and I watched a VCR movie and then sat around the fireplace sharing details of our lives until we were all too sleepy to continue.

Bob fixed us a great breakfast the next morning, then Janet and I said goodbye and headed toward Holland, Michigan, to see Stephanie and her clan. Our visit with the Stolpers was a good time for all and we hope they will come to San Diego soon and let us reciprocate the warm hospitality.

A photo collage commemorates the reunion at my personal website.

We stopped at Stephanie's workplace when we arrived in Holland. She gave us a map to her home and we went to the daycare center to pick up Jamison. It was so good to see her, our grandchild and husband Clinton. We assisted the kids in their effort to refurbish their new home, shopped for maternity clothes for Steph and watched Stuart Little II at least fifty times with Jamison.

My digital camera was on the fritz when we got to Holland, so we are waiting for film development and subsequent scanning before I can post photos. The bottom line for now is that the Rays are doing fine and we had a wonderful time.