Katy Dickinson

50 new SEED participants selected today

Selection Process Complete!

This morning, we selected the 50 participants in the Sun Engineering Enrichment and Development (SEED) mentoring program for the Worldwide Established Staff, January - July 2008 term. SEED received a total of 104 SEED applications, unfortunately more than the program can accommodate. Even after sorting out the twenty who were ineligible (mostly because they were too junior or their applications were not complete), today's selection was very difficult. This group of applicants was remarkably senior, well regarded, accomplished and particularly diverse geographically.

SEED recently ran a special term for staff in Beijing, Bangalore, Prague, and St. Petersburg, so there were fewer applicants this term from those locations. Nonetheless, this new group promises to offer a broad and valuable range of cultural viewpoints. With so many superb candidates, we could not limit our choices to just the 40 we had intended to accept! Next step: the term's 15-name Mentor Wish Lists from the newly selected participants are due on 7 December.

Term Scope

SEED's four basic General Selection Criteria are:

1. All Participants are in Engineering.
2. Only regular Sun employees may participate.
3. Superior annual performance ratings are preferred.
4. Manager support is required.

In addition, there are two specific selection criteria for Established Staff:

1. Hold a senior position: they must be at a Principal job level or above.
2. Have been with Sun for two or more years as of the term start month. That is, this term's applicants must have been hired before 2006.

Participant Information Summary

Location of Participants

• 1 Australia, 2%
• 1 Belgium, 2%
• 3 China, 6%
• 1 Czech Republic, 2%
• 2 France, 4%
• 1 Germany, 2%
• 2 India, 4%
• 1 Ireland, 2%
• 1 Japan, 2%
• 1 Norway, 2%
• 1 Russia, 2%
• 1 Switzerland, 2%
• 34 USA, 68%
  • 5 Central USA, 10%
  • 7 Eastern USA, 14%
  • 22 Western USA, 44%

Division of Participants

• 2 CTO/Sun Labs, 4%
• 6 Microelectronics, 12%
• 5 Sales (Global Sales and Services), 10%
• 11 Services (Global Sales and Services), 22%
• 19 Software Group, 38%
• 1 Storage Group, 2%
• 5 Systems Group, 10%
• 1 Worldwide Operations, 2%

Gender of Participants

• 9 Female, 18%
• 41 Male, 82%

11 Managers, 22% (the rest are individual contributors)

10 Previously Applied to SEED, 20% (the rest are 1st time applicants)

Countries of origin for participants in this term include: Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA

More information on the SEED Engineering mentoring program is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 05:38PM Nov 28, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

SEED Selection Tomorrow

Tanya Jankot has received HR's verification of the SEED mentoring program applicants' information (titles, job grades, hire dates, performance ratings, etc.) and is checking that against the submitted information. The SEED Selection Committee meets tomorrow, on 28 November 2007. We expect to pick about 40 participants out of the 104 applicants. I will announce final selections tomorrow.

More information on the SEED Engineering mentoring program is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 02:22PM Nov 27, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

Caboose Restoration Update

During the Thanksgiving holiday, between cooking and coming down with colds, we worked on WP668, our backyard caboose. We added bits of wood trim, pulled wires and installed conduit, outlets, and switches for the new electrical system, and continued painting. I have three colors of paint: red primer for metal bits, rust-red base color, and safety-yellow trim. Each day, I made a round with each color, painting newly-cut bolt ends, dings and splats, new welds and wood trim, and putting a third coat of yellow on each of the thirty or so handle bars.

We also placed the final order for the stencils to re-mark WP668. After negotiation with the stencil cutting company, we settled on Trade Gothic Bold as the currently-available font closest to the original WP668 letter forms. Our new reusable stencils have now been laser cut on durable poly film and shipped and we are waiting for them to arrive. We ordered the following:

• WP (12" tall - for the bay centers)
• 668 (10" tall - for the bay centers)
• LT WT 47700 (3" tall - for the lower rims)
• SAC. 2-67 (3" tall - for the lower rims)
• WP 668 (3" tall - over each door)
• BLT. 10-43 (2" tall - for the lower rims)

We took these markings from the 1973-1974 historic photos of WP668. Here is what we think they mean:

• WP stands for Western Pacific Railroad
• 668 WP's individual number of our caboose
• LT WT 47700 WP668's last official weight: 47,700 pounds
• SAC. 2-67 February 1967, WP668's last test inspection date
• WP 668 the official name of our caboose
• BLT. 10-43 October 1943, WP668's built date - when WP668 was converted from a 1916 boxcar into a caboose

John and I discussed whether to have the built date be 10-16 (as we have seen on several of WP668's sisters) but decided to conform to her 1973-1974 markings. There are also several other sets of small inspection markings dated from 1958 to 1973 we will paint on. However, those are in the kind of cut-letter font readily available in stencils at local hardware stores. We are trying not to be too finicky (model railroaders who must get everything exactly perfect are derisively called "rivet counters") while remaining true to WP668's history.

When FREDs (flashing rear-end devices) came into use in the mid-1970s, railroad cabooses became much less needed. Cabooses served as a the conductor's office and crew break room as well as a way to check on the back of the train. Cabooses had either cupolas or bay windows so that the conductor could oversee that all was well. In the mid-1970s, US railroads began taking cabooses out of service and chopping them up for scrap. A few cabooses, like WP668, were lucky enough to end up in museums. At some point between 1974 (the date the last historic photo we have was taken in Sacramento, CA) and December 2005 (when we first saw WP668 at the Golden Gate Railroad Museum in San Francisco), WP668 had her ladders chopped off - presumably to avoid providing an attractive and dangerous nuisance (an easy way to climb onto her then-fragile roof).

Last night, Chris* the welder came over with the first leg of the steel pipe replacement ladders he is fabricating for us. John and Chris tried it out and it fits WP668 as it should. One end of the ladder slots into round cups welded onto the steel of the back deck; the other end bolts onto the roof and connects to the rooftop walkway. Once the ladders are done, we can put the metal skin on the new roof, then build the roof walkway on top of the metal.

* Chris Gremich "The Iron Expert" of CG Designs in San Jose, CA, phone: 408-313-3706

Posted at 12:57PM Nov 27, 2007 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Welding Done, Working on Electrical, Paint

Chris The Welder came back to work on WP668, our backyard railroad caboose, on Saturday. He finished attaching the five foot square steel plate to the bay window. John helped and in the process learned a great many welding techniques and tricks. Chris' next projects are to make the steel handrail and balusters for the wooden steps and the steel ladder for each end of the caboose. John and I will be finishing up on the bay window - polishing the metal, adding the filler between welds, and painting. We also need to buy new wood-frame windows to fit into both bays. (One window is missing and the other is in very poor condition.)

John spent yesterday working on the electrical. He is running the wires and putting in outlets and switches on the inside. Also, he is adding two porch lights at each end.

I am still painting yellow trim. I am also getting ready to paint the markings back. I have found a company which will make the stencils. Looking at some of the fonts I have available and comparing them to the historic pictures I have of original Western Pacific lettering, HGMaruGothicMPRO or Helvetica fonts seem closest. On one of the railroad email discussions, I saw a reference to WP using Zephyr Gothic and Cooper Black fonts but I don't know what those look like.

Here is a 1974 photo of WP668. The yellow WP 668 on each bay and the much smaller letters and numbers along the bottom steel edge both identify the caboose and give service dates.

WP668, around 1974

Location/Date/Photographer unknown. S. Roger Kirkpatrick collection, listed on Central California Rails Caboose Index - W Used with permission of S. Roger Kirkpatrick

Work in progress or planned before WP668 is usable:

• Finish installing electrical plugs and switches inside
• Installing lights outside
• Create, install stairway balusters and handrails
• Final stair, electrical inspections and sign off
• Fill and paint back bay window
• Buy and install wood windows into bays
• Install interior wood facing on bays around windows
• Installing the metal roof covering
• Painting the inside
• Fixing the base floor inside (1/3 of it is damaged, 2/3 of it is solid)
• Covering the floor inside (probably with linoleum)
• Repaint original exterior markings

WP668 is all swept out and tidied up so that our friends and relations coming over for Thanksgiving can tour to see what progress we have made.

Posted at 01:45PM Nov 19, 2007 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

104 SEED Mentoring Program Applications

The application deadline for SEED's Worldwide Established Staff, January - July, 2008 term was last Friday (16 November). The rough figures are: 104 Sun Engineering staff members applied; 86 of those completed their applications. The next step is for HR (Human Resources) to verify titles, grade levels, performance ratings, etc. Some applicants may be disqualified as a result of HR's review. Tanya Jankot and I am reading the applications now. The SEED Selection Committee meets on 28 November 2007. We expect to pick about 40 participants. I will announce final selections on 28 November.

At present, 18 of the applicants are not qualified, mostly because their materials appear incomplete. We may find some these are complete after we sort through all of the submissions (if, for example, a letter was submitted under the wrong SunID). Most who are not qualified did not have a complete application (required letters missing, for example) or were too junior for this term (meaning they are not yet at the global equivalent of U.S. job grades 9, and/or they will have been with Sun fewer than 2 years as of January 2008).

More information on the SEED Engineering mentoring program is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 01:01PM Nov 19, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

95 SEED Applications So Far

I just checked the SEED Established Staff program application stats. All materials are due today, Friday, 16 November. Here is where we are so far:

• Applicants: 95
• Completed Applications: 65
• By Org:
  • CTO/Sun Labs: 2 [ 2% ]
  • GSS: Systems Practice: 1 [ 1% ]
  • Microelectronics: 8 [ 8% ]
  • Sales (GSS): 16 [ 17% ]
  • Services (GSS): 16 [ 17% ]
  • Software Group: 37 [ 39% ]
  • Storage Group: 4 [ 4% ]
  • Systems Group: 9 [ 9% ]
  • Worldwide Operations: 2 [ 2% ]
• By Work Location:
  • APAC (Asia Pacific): 3 [ 3% ]
  • Central USA: 11 [ 12% ]
  • China: 12 [ 13% ]
  • Czech Republic: 5 [ 5% ]
  • EMEA (Europe Middle East Africa): 4 [ 4% ]
  • Eastern USA: 7 [ 7% ]
  • France: 3 [ 3% ]
  • India: 8 [ 8% ]
  • Ireland: 3 [ 3% ]
  • Russia: 1 [ 2% ]
  • Western USA: 36 [ 38% ]
  • no response: 1 [ 1% ]

Tanya Jankot and I am reading the applications and getting back to applicants and their managers with concerns or requests for completion.

More information on the SEED Engineering mentoring program is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 12:02PM Nov 16, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

Jury Trial for Methamphetamine Drug Dealer

I served my jury duty starting last week. I was a member of a jury for the criminal trial of the case of a Methamphetamine Drug Dealer. In all of my calls for jury duty, this is my first time to be picked to sit on a jury. We started deliberations late yesterday and, after delivering our unanimous Guilty verdict, were dismissed this morning. We got to keep our nice blue and gold "Thank you for your jury service!" pens and the Judge said we were free now to discuss the case outside of court.

Being a Process Architect, I found the experience fascinating. Physically, it was like being an intelligent goldfish in a small bowl. 13 of us (12 jurors, plus an alternate) sat in comfortable chairs in the jury box while the Judge (also called The Court), the District Attorney (or D.A., also called The People, and The Prosecution), the Defense counsel, and the witnesses talked to us. We could hear and see but not move much or say anything. We could only know what they told us. (The Judge said we could write out questions and pass them to the Deputy/Bailiff but our questions might or might not be answered. None of us tried this.) Every time there was a break, the Judge told us not to talk with anyone, including: each other, our spouses, friends, family, therapists, religious advisors, or the Deputy/Bailiff about the case. We were specifically told not to do any research or visit the scene of the crime. Throughout the trial, there were actions or facts to which both attorneys agreed, such as: the search was legal, the Defendant was read his rights properly. There were also circumstances which we were told we would not be informed about because they did not pertain to the case. We tried not to be curious.

To move the work along, the Judge and the lawyers did as much work as possible with us out of the room. The Judge told us the phases of the trial were:

• Pre-trial Motions (happened before we were called)
• Jury Selection
• Opening Statements
• Presentation of Witnesses
• Final Arguments
• Jury Instructions
• Deliberations
• Verdict (jury excused)

During the trial, the charge stated was possession of Methamphetamine with intention to sell. They mentioned the code number of the law which was broken. I just looked it up; it is:

California Health and Safety Code 11378: "Except as otherwise provided ... every person who possesses for sale any controlled substance ... shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison."

As The Jury, we 12 were asked to consider the evidence then give our decision on whether the evidence provided proof beyond reasonable doubt that the Defendant had committed the crime. We were told by both attorneys and the Judge that the Defendant was innocent until proven guilty and what that meant. For example, if there were two reasonable interpretations of the evidence and one meant that the Defendant was innocent, we were required to say he was innocent. We were not there to know the law or to be judges or to consider morals or character; we were only there to consider the evidence. We had to be unanimous in our decision (or say that we could not reach a decision). The Judge (who said he was like a Referee between the D.A. and the Defense) regularly read us instructions or bits of law to be sure that we understood what was happening and what we were to do.

New words I know from this experience:

• bindle - steet slang for a small amount of drugs wrapped in plastic
• voir dire - legal jargon for the questioning of prospective jurors by a judge and attorneys in court
• Pupilometer - police jargon for a printed column of graduated dots used as a scale of eye pupil sizes - a tool to help evaluate whether a subject is under the influence of drugs
• toot straw - street slang for a straw used to snort drugs

Some observations:

• I am very impressed with how respectful, careful and deliberate the trial by jury system is. It was remarkably dignified, inclusive, and educational. The Judge explained the circumstances and the law at length, allowed ample time for each phase, and many times called both lawyers up to confer where we could not hear to be sure everything was done right (for example, if there was a question about how a statement or objection was phrased).
• Direct and circumstantial evidence are considered of equal value. I did not know that. Before this, I thought circumstantial evidence was lesser.
• I had no idea that Methamphetamine drug amounts were so tiny or so cheap or so destructive. One of the expert witnesses (a police officer) who testified made a drug bindle to demonstrate the process (using fake sugar instead of Methamphetamine). The finished product was a tiny plastic twist about the size of my little fingernail. After we reached our decision, one of the jurors told us about his son who is recovering from Methamphetamine addiction. Doses only cost about $5. so anyone can afford meth. Meth is extremely addictive and causes irreversible nerve damage and severe dental problems in just a few months of use.
• The District Attorney was very proud to be representing The People of the State of California. One time, the Defense attorney referred to the D.A. as "the government". The D.A. corrected him saying he was not there to represent the government but The People. Several times when the Defense attorney presented evidence to be entered, the D.A. said the phrase "The People stipulate to its admissibility in the interests of justice." It felt like The Law and The People were with us in that court room.
• The Defendant never spoke once while we were in the room. The Judge made sure we understood that it was the Defendant's Constitutional Right not to be a witness against himself. The Defendant's interests and case were well and extensively defended none the less.

Clarification: I should have mentioned that during the extensive questioning of prospective jurors by the judge and both attorneys, the juror whose son had a Methamphetamine addiction was forthcoming and honest about it. He was questioned explicitly on his family circumstances by the Judge, the D.A. and the Defense before being accepted as a juror. Neither the D.A. nor the Defense used up their ten jury eliminations. Several prospective jurors were eliminated during voir dire, one for cause. (He was dismissed for cause because he said he would not believe someone was guilty based only on circumstantial evidence.)

Posted at 05:15PM Nov 15, 2007 by katysblog in News & Reviews  |  Comments[1]

Caboose Steps Being Built

From my home office, I can hear the carpenter in our backyard building the new wooden steps for WP668, our caboose. The framework will be of pressure-treated wood with stair treads of a wood and plastic composite lumber product (Trex). We like Trex because it lasts and does not make splinters or get hot in summer. The metal handrail will not be done today but the woodwork should get finished. Our carpenter said it is fun to work with a structure that can easily be moved a few feet to accommodate construction or design.

The welder brought his young son along on Monday to help work on our cool project. The carpenter's father showed up today for the same reason.

Posted at 12:31PM Nov 14, 2007 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Juggling Jury Duty and SEED

I am on jury duty this week (that is, actually a member of a jury, for the first time). It is fascinating but I cannot talk about it until his honor the Judge gives his OK. I am home on a break between sessions right now. I was able to join the first half of yesterday morning's SEED applicant and manager call in meeting before jury session started. However, I missed this morning's all-SEED monthly phone-in meeting. Michelle Dennedy Sun's Chief Privacy Officer was SEED's guest speaker. I am looking forward to listening to the recording once is it available.

I just checked the SEED Established Staff application stats. All materials are due this Friday, 16 November. Here is where we are so far:

• Applicants: 60
• Completed Applications: 20
• By Org:
  • GSS: Systems Practice: 1 [ 2% ]
  • Microelectronics: 4 [ 7% ]
  • Sales (GSS): 11 [ 18% ]
  • Services (GSS): 10 [ 17% ]
  • Software Group: 25 [ 42% ]
  • Storage Group: 4 [ 7% ]
  • Systems Group: 4 [ 7% ]
  • Worldwide Operations: 1 [ 2% ]
• By Work Location:
  • APAC (Asia Pacific): 1 [ 2% ]
  • Central USA: 6 [ 10% ]
  • China: 10 [ 17% ]
  • Czech Republic: 3 [ 5% ]
  • EMEA (Europe Middle East Africa): 3 [ 5% ]
  • Eastern USA: 5 [ 8% ]
  • France: 3 [ 5% ]
  • India: 5 [ 8% ]
  • Ireland: 1 [ 2% ]
  • Russia: 1 [ 2% ]
  • Western USA: 22 [ 37% ]

I am reading the applications during breaks and after jury sessions end. Tanya Jankot is handling most of the email and phone calls from applicants and managers with questions. More information on the SEED Engineering mentoring program is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 11:51AM Nov 14, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

Defending Agatha Christie

A dear friend of mine is no fan of Agatha Christie (1890-1976). He and I are both delighted by Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) and her creation Lord Peter Wimsey. We have discussed them for many years. But the charm of Dame Agatha and her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, eludes him. This defense is to present what I have come to like in Agatha Christie's mystery books.

My mother used to read Agatha Christie to go to sleep every night. Several years ago, she passed on to me her extensive and tattered collection of luridly-covered paperbacks. Some of these books are in such poor condition that I have to carry them in plastic zip bags to keep the pages in order. I recently read or re-read about a dozen of them.

I am quite ready to admit that Agatha Christie could write a really bad book. My choice for her worst is The Big Four (1927), which has something in it to offend everyone. Even the cover below is grotesque. Thankfully (and unusually for one of the best-selling authors of all time), The Big Four does not seem to be print any more.

Also, it is easy to dislike Hercule Poirot. Even his creator found him difficult. The Wikipedia article on Agatha Christie reports that "...by the end of the 1930s, Christie confided to her diary that she was finding Poirot 'insufferable', and by the 1960s she felt that he was an 'an ego-centric creep'". Christie wrote a version of herself into several of her stories in the person of mystery writer and apple-lover Ariadne Oliver. Here is Mrs. Oliver on the subject of her own detective:

"How do I know why I ever thought of the revolting man? I must have been mad! Why a Finn when I know nothing about Finland? Why a vegetarian? Why all the idiotic mannerisms he's got? These things just happen. You try something - and people seem to like it - and then you go on - and before you know where you are, you've got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life. And people even write and say how fond you must be of him. Fond of him? If I met that bony gangling vegetable eating Finn in real life, I'd do a better murder than any I've ever invented." (from Chapter 14 of Mrs. McGinty's Dead, 1952)

However, at her best, Agatha Christie could write very well, even laboring under the burden of the Belgian Poirot's extensive and irritating mannerisms. Here is Colin Lamb, the hero of The Clocks (1963), describing a bookshop:

"I sidled through the doorway. It was necessary to sidle, since precariously arranged books impinged more and more every day on the passageway from the street. Inside, it was clear that the books owned the shop rather than the other way about. Everywhere they had run wild and taken possession of their habitat, breeding and multiplying and clearly lacking any strong hand to keep them down. The distance between bookshelves was so narrow that you could only get along with great difficulty. There were piles of books perched on every shelf or table. On a stool in the corner, hemmed in by books, was an old man in a pork-pie hat with a large flat face like a stuffed fish. He had the air of one who has given up an unequal struggle. He had attempted to master the books but the books had obviously succeeded in mastering him. He was a kind of King Canute of the book world, retreating before the advancing book tide. If he ordered it to retreat, it would have been with the hopeless certainty that it would not do so."

Part of Agatha Christie's charm for me is her self-awareness. Just as she mocks herself and her detective in the forms of Ariadne Oliver and Sven Hjerson, from time to time, Agatha Christie's stories quietly make fun of themselves. Here is Dr. James Sheppard in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) interacting with a police inspector considering a recent corpse:

"'There's not going to be much mystery about this crime. Take a look at the hilt of that dagger.' I took the look. 'I dare say they're not apparent to you, but I can see them clearly enough.' He lowered his voice. 'Fingerprints!' He stood a off a few steps to judge of his effect. 'Yes,' I said mildly. 'I guessed that.' I do not see why I should be supposed to be totally devoid of intelligence. After all, I read detective stories, and the newspapers, and am a man of quite average ability. If there had been toe marks on the dagger handle, now, that would have been quite a different thing. I would then have registered any amount of surprise and awe. I think the inspector was annoyed with me for declining to get thrilled."

Similarly, in "Three Blind Mice" (1950), Sergeant Trotter says: "'It's all very well Mr. Paravicini mentioning last chapters and speaking as though this was a mystery thriller,' he said. 'This is real. This is happening.'"
(This is surely an ironic statement from a detective in a mystery thriller.)

The best of Agatha Christie shows this willingness to step back and smile. Christie often has Captain Hastings or a counterpart there to criticize the great Hercule Poirot about obsessive method, self-importance, and personal vanity. She has written stories in which the narrator is the murderer (but the reader does not get told this until the last page). Just as Lord Peter is able to mock his famously-educated and oft-quoting self when in Gaudy Night (1935), Sayers writes him as saying "A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought," Christie at her best has a light and self-observant touch.

Below are cover photos of some Christie mysteries I have been reading lately. Since Agatha Christie's books were written over a period of fifty years and appeared in many editions, these covers give some idea of the tastes of the times in which they were published.

1928 edition

1950 edition

1955 editions

1959 editions

1962 editions

1963 editions

1963-1964 editions

1965 editions

1969 editions

1970-1971 editions

1975 editions

1975-1978 editions

Two End House Edition Covers

Two Sad Cypress Edition Covers

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 07:12AM Nov 13, 2007 by katysblog in News & Reviews  |  Comments[1]

More Caboose Welding in Progress

Chris, the professional welder John hired came over today to work on WP668, our historic backyard caboose. He heated then straightened two hand bars which were bent in a long-forgotten train accident, replaced the whole bottom tread on one of the two remaining original steel steps, and started to replace the center of one of the bay windows. Everything but the bay window was finished today. The sheet of steel for the window is tacked in place and Chris will return tomorrow to finish welding it. The 5' square steel sheet came with the caboose. The GGRM had been working on WP668's restoration when they had to sell everything and move out of S.F. Hunter's Point in 2006. When the welding and painting are done, the bay window will have a visible seam but will be water tight and good enough.

Posted at 06:50PM Nov 12, 2007 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Animals at Disney World

Jessica and I visited Disney World - Magic Kingdom after participating in the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (17-20 October 2007, Orlando, Florida). My brother lives in Pasadena so we are much more likely to visit Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. However, as long as we were there, we went to visit the mouse in Florida.

We got to the park early and in the pouring rain. So, we rode Pirates and Spash Mountain and the Haunted House twice each before the crowds arrived. There were differences between Disney World and Disneyland (like Toontown being a dead end in Disneyland but a pass through in Disney World) which were a little disorienting. The biggest surprise was how many wild animals live in Disney World. I was expecting the character animals (Micky, Minnie, Daffy, Donald, etc.) and the animals used as props (in the Jungle Ride for example) but there were also many wild birds and lizards and even a bunny eating grass as we walked by the Castle. I was not quick enough to photograph a lizard but I caught quite a few others...

Bunny and Ducks on Castle lawn:

Mallard ducks in puddle:

Mallard ducks in waterfall:

Ghost Horse and Hearse at Haunted House:

Pet Cemetary at Haunted House:

Pumpkin Mickey:

Jessica and Minnie:

Jessica and Torch Song poster:

Robot dog at Space Mountain:

Jungle Cruise crocodiles:

Shorebirds in Adventureland:

Song birds in Tomorrowland:

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:30PM Nov 11, 2007 by katysblog in News & Reviews  | 

Bishop of Silicon Valley Ordained

I attended the ordination of Bishop Mary Gray-Reeeves today. It was a beautiful, moving, and very well managed event. Bishop Mary is the 3rd Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real, on the Central Coast of California. Today's service for 1,000 was held at St. Andrew's in Saratoga, my new home parish.

I was among those who voted for Bishop Mary at the electing convention last June. She was elected by overwhelming majority on the second ballot. Bishop Mary is the 15th woman elected as a bishop of the Episcopal Church and she among the five youngest members of the House of Bishops. She is the 1027th Bishop in the American succession. I think Bishop Mary is the first woman Bishop ordained by our new Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts-Schori.

Bishop Mary's former boss, the Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, gave today's sermon. Bishop Frade has been a Bishop for over 25 years and is the Senior Bishop with Jurisdiction in the House of Bishops. Bishop Frade pointed out that as the new Bishop of the Silicon Valley, Mary would face challenges unlike those of his generation which only had to make the transition from rotary to pushbutton phones. Bishops in the past did not have their flock sending them email 24x7.

The service was alternately in Spanish and English and featured a Sudanese Choir and also a Native American ceremony at the beginning. The most impressive part for me was the great rumbling words of approval when Bishop Katharine asked us, The People, for our approval and support:

• Bishop Katharine: Is it your will that we ordain Mary a Bishop?
  The People: That is our will.
  
• Bishop Katharine: Will you uphold Mary as Bishop?
  The People: We will.
  

It was wonderful to see so many Bishops present. There were at least 20, not including Bishop Mary. I was glad that El Camino's last two Bishops, The Rt. Rev. Sylvestre Romero (now Assisting Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey) and The Rt. Rev. Richard Shimpfky, could both attend. It was also a delight to see The Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera, the first Hispanic woman Bishop, participating. There were some funny moments. When The Rt. Rev. Chester Talton presented Biship Mary with her crozier (a processional staff with the head in the form of a shepherd's crook), he said she could whack us with it if we did not behave. Of course, a cell phone went off during Bishop Mary taking her vows (sigh).

John and I sat in the 6th row back. I was sitting behind someone who was at least 6'5" tall so we did not get very good photos. Also, we were asked not to take pictures during the service but here is what we saw before and after:

St. Andrew's Altar with Bishop's Throne:

Clergy after Bishop Mary's ordination:

Bishop Mary and Bishop Katharine:

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

Posted at 10:43PM Nov 10, 2007 by katysblog in Church  |  Comments[1]

SEED Mentoring Term - 26 Applications So Far

Our discussions about extending the SEED mentoring program to a larger population within Sun Engineering are making good progress. We passed one executive review this week and have another scheduled for next month. We will be sending out a survey to recent SEED participants' managers asking for their views soon.

I am on jury duty this week and next but answering email and voice mail questions during off days and on breaks. Applications for the new worldwide term for Established Staff are coming in: 26 so far with 7 complete. The new term will run January through June 2008. Applications are due 16 November. We will have a phone-in question and answer session for applicants and managers on 13 November 2007, 8 a.m. PST.

More information on SEED is available at http://research.sun.com/SEED/

Posted at 12:16PM Nov 09, 2007 by katysblog in Mentoring & Other Business  | 

CMU Visit Photos

We just got back from CMU's Family Weekend with Jessica. For more, see my recent blogs on

• Visit to Pittsburgh, PA (and Church Split)
  We ended up attending services at Calvary Episcopal Church where Archbishop Tutu spoke on 25 October 2007. Calvary is suing the Pittsburgh diocese over Bishop Duncan's effort to change church property rules so that congregations can more easily leave the Episcopal Church.
  
• Carnegie Mellon Bot Wins DARPA Urban Challenge
• Chihuly at Phipps: Gardens & Glass

Here are some photos from our trip to Pittsburgh, PA:

Paul through lens (1982 resin disc by Fred Eversley) at San Francisco airport:

Katy through lens (1982 resin disc by Fred Eversley) at San Francisco airport:

CMU Tartan Cookies:

CMU welcome banner for Family Weekend:

Andrew Carnegie Quote on wall: "My Heart is in the Work":

CMU walkway brick "My heart is in the work and my hand is in your wallet":

Paul and Transformers poster:

Jessica, Paul, and John:

Jessica, Katy and Paul:

John and light at CMU Entropy food shop:

Tank the Roboceptionist:

Tank the Roboceptionist:

Roboceptionist Project www.roboceptionist.com:

Tank the Roboceptionist:

CMU Music:

CMU Fine Arts:

Storytelling Robot sign:

Paul doing homework at the hotel:

DARPA Tartan Racing shirt and sign:

CMU lamp post:

Sign for lost Economists:

Paul and Jessica:

Paul and Jessica:

Gladys Schmitt Creative Writing Center:

Jessica and pink lions:

Snail carving:

Looping stairwell:

Calvary Episcopal Church:

Posner Eddington Quote Wall:

CMU night lights:

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher and Paul Dickinson Goodman

Posted at 07:06PM Nov 07, 2007 by katysblog in Home & Family  |