All posts by CAT

One Month with My Tesla Model 3 – My Tesla Journey

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On October 30, 2018 Eric and I took a drive over to Mount Kisco, New York to finally pick up our Tesla Model 3.

We hadn’t gone to that particular store before so I was quite surprised at how small the store is.  They actually store the new deliveries at a different location a few miles from the store.

When we arrived, we were driven over to see my car so we had an opportunity to inspect the car and make sure everything was good. The ladies there were very excited to show us our car and walk us through the features and settings.

After that, we were driven back to the store to sign the registration and the NYS EV Rebate document. Finally handed over the check and then drove back to the car with the plates.

After installing our 3rd Party “Bandit” and our plates, the Tesla team drove the car out of the holding area.  I setup mirrors and seat settings then drove around the parking lot to get used to the car.

Here’s a video of our picking up the car

The New Age of AI – My Tesla Journey

On April 1, 2016, I reserved a Tesla Model 3. I put $1000 down after only seeing a video of Elon Musk on stage with a prototype of the Model 3. Then this year on June 28th, I had the opportunity to configure my Dual-Motor Model three and put a deposit.  At the time they informed me that the car would arrive between September-November.  Based on this estimate and being used to waiting, I expected the car to be delivered end of November.

So in late August Eric and I decided to head over to the Paramus Tesla store to test drive the Model 3 since they finally had some available for test dives.

I was absolutely amazed at the experience.  It was an adjustment to get used to driving with regenerative breaking but I quickly got used to it.  The ride was smooth, seats comfortable and the monitor for a dash was easy to use. We test drove a rear wheel drive since they didn’t use the Model 3 Performance for Test Drives, however, the RW Drive had really fast acceleration.

Driving along Rt. 17 in Paramus, NJ has never been my favorite place to drive due to traffic and crazy left turn turnarounds, but when we turned on AutoPilot past the traffic the AutoPilot followed the road  with auto steering and managed slowing down when cars were in front of us. It was amazing!

After returning to the Tesla parking lot, Eric had the opportunity to test Auto Parking, a  feature for which  I specifically ordered Enhanced AutoPilot for on my Model 3.  It flawlessly backed into the parking spot between two brand new cars.

Here are some pictures from the trip to Paramus for the test drive:

Arriving at Tesla in Paramus, NJ
Arriving at Tesla in Paramus, NJ
The Black car in this picture is the one we did the test drive with
The Black car in this picture is the one we did the test drive with
Driving the Tesla Model 3 on side streets in Paramus
Driving the Tesla Model 3 on side streets in Paramus
Showroom Tesla Model 3
Showroom Tesla Model 3
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Trunk
Front Trunk (Frunk)
Front Trunk (Frunk)
Charging Port
Charging Port

Less then a week later, I got an email from Tesla which said my car was on it’s way to Tesla Mount Kisco, NY.  So, we’re picking up my Tesla Model 3 on September 29, 2018 which is a week from today! So many things to do in preparation including getting the charger installed in the garage.  I’m so excited!!!!

I know I’m such a geek, but does this make me a car geek?

 

2014 The Year that a Technology Literally Changed My Life

Even if you don’t know anything about me, you can probably guess that I’m a geek. I have to have the latest gadget, tool, software or machine. I like to stay on top of technologies that can improve my life, save me time or entertain me.
For 2014, it was an excellent year for technologies, but only one technology acquisition literally changed my life.

Now you may think that my Windows 8.1 ASUS VivoTab Note 8 8-Inch 64 GB Tablet (Black) with Integrated Professional Wacom Stylus  would be the one.

VivoTab

I carry it with me everywhere.  I read my 1700 kindle books on this device.  I handwrite notes with OneNote  with the Wacom stylus.  I keep up to date on news with Bing NewsReader, I write Word documents, PowerPoint, Excel and email. I use it to track my fitness steps and weight with FitBit and so many other things.  I really can’t live without it, though it hasn’t truly changed my life.

Now you may think that my new Microsoft Band Fitness Tracker Smartwatch Health Monitor would be the one.

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The minute I put it on, I realized very quickly what an awesome tool this really is.  I’d been wearing a Pebble watch which never did much for me besides have BIGTEXT watch face and alert me when it was raining.  I was also wearing various FitBits, to measure steps and calories.  But the Microsoft Band gave me one wrist device that let’s me get email, calendar, facebook alerts, texts, phone call alerts.  It tracks steps, heart rate, calories and exercise routines with a GPS built in. It gives me access to Cortana to get directions from my phone.  It even has my Starbucks number handy.  During the workday, I almost never need to take out my phone because any important alerts can be read right from the band.  It is such an amazing productivity and health tracking tool, however, it also hasn’t literally changed my life.

Something that most people wouldn’t know about me is that I was born completely deaf in one ear and over time I was losing some hearing in my right ear.  I was specifically losing the ability to hear high frequency sounds, making it difficult to hear speech especially consonants.  Over my lifetime I would learn to read lips, sit at the leftmost seat at a table or conference room.  If I was walking with someone on the street, I would subtly move to be on their left so I could hear them without turning my head to lip read. Without doing so, I couldn’t listen and  see where I was walking.   Thankfully, many people I would work with would never notice these odd behaviors or “workarounds” I would do.  Some would notice and ask politely then would accommodate without embarrassing me.

I am a composer and musician who never heard stereo.  I used to turn up the base (thanks to our 27″ woofers) so I could hear depth to music and movies since I was missing the upper range.  After years of doctors saying there really was nothing to do to help the left ear, I was frustrated and stopped getting hearing tests.

Until May of 2014. I finally bit the bullet and went to see my ENT.  He said to me, you would be amazed at what can be done now.  So  I got fitted for  Phonak Audeo Q Hearing Aids with Cross.   I put one device in my left ear that has two microphones with a wireless FM transmitter and another device in my right ear that has 2 mics and a receiver from the left ear.  They are very discreet, matching my hair color and very hidden unless I purposely pull down my ear to show people.

HearingAidHeadViewofHearingAid

They allow me to discern sounds coming from either side. I can hear someone whisper behind me on my left side.  I’m able to focus on the voice of the person in front of me without being distracted by background noise. I’m able with the tap of a tiny button on the hearing aid to raise/lower the volume depending on the loudness of the environment.

I’m able to connect via Bluetooth to my cell phone and laptop audio allowing me to hear the sound directly through the electronics in the hearing aid.  I even used it on tours where the tour guide would use wireless headsets.. This helped ensure that I could continue to hear sounds around me as well as the tour guide while we were on a walking tour.

When I watch movies, the sound is so clear, I realize how much sound I’ve been missing all my life.  After all, you don’t know what you are missing, if you’ve never heard the sound before.  I’m struck in awe sometimes when I pull out the hearing aide and realize how muffled and undistinguished sounds have been for me.

Apparently 5 years ago, this technology didn’t really exist.  Most hearing aids were bulky and required a wire to run from ear to ear, making it difficult to live a professional life without being self conscience. The audio devices(mics) were not designed to address the specific loss I had  until the electronics became more sophisticated. So until recently, it was not possible for me to live a normal hearing life.

This is why my hearing aid is THE technology that literally changed my life this year.

Now I share this story for those who have struggled their lives like I have or even only recently are experiencing hearing loss.  There is hope, there is a technology that can help you live a normal hearing life.

 

Getting Back to Blogging

Well, now that I’ve moved into a new role as Solution Architect for Enterprise Social at Microsoft, I thought I’d better get my act in gear and get back to blogging.

So as my Blog gets re-customized after a server failure and I figure out a new Theme on Social I’ll be pointing out and commenting on some recent events in Enterprise Social.

See you all real soon!

Response to Felicia Day – on Women in Tech

It all started with this post on Techcrunch  Too Few Women In Tech? Stop Blaming The Men. and got more out of hand with  all the responses.  When I saw this post from Felicia Day Women in Tech, I thought I would carry my comment over here and see if there is further discussion.

I’ve been struggling with the issue for decades on the lack of women in technology.  Even after having risen up to be a Chief Technology Architect of a major Media/Publishing company I am still being surrounded by mostly men.

I was always interested as a kid in “girly” things, (i.e. knitting, fashion) etc. but I loved solving puzzles and enjoyed math.  I wasn’t a geek in school so I don’t think that its really the pink/blue thing so much as parents who wanted me to do what I enjoyed. I was only one of a few in my high school that went away to college.

From the very beginning of my technology life in college, I was 1 of 3 women in a class of 25 graduating with a CS degree.  I can blame it on the era, since computers were not easily accessible, (i.e. my first computer was a Commodore 64!) but I have a feeling that ratio hasn’t changed too much.

After school, I continually got pigeon holed into typically female oriented technology roles, (QA, project management) and I had to leave many companies to get recognized for my ability as a programmer/architect.  When I finally built up a reputation as a technology architect, I found that even in a room of architects, I was always one of a few women.  This was true regardless of the industry or company I was in.

Now that I’m even more senior, I run architecture reviews and enterprise technology designs with all male crowds.  I hope that these men who recognize me as a technology leader can tell their daughters that they can do anything they want too and that perhaps I’ve influenced  these men and how they treat their daughters.

I’m still constantly struggling now that I’ve been hosting Let’s Knit2gether, (a knitting show) because it seems like people can’t see an individual who is in technology having interest in things that are stereotypically women’s things.

We need to break down all gender stereotypes for children, no matter the age.  So it’s OK for a boy to wear pink and knit, and it’s OK for a girl to wear blue and play video games.

Oh and BTW, the first computer programmers were women. Look it up!

How to Deal With Your Multiple Personas on Social Networks

Google’s supposed Facebook Killer which was accidentally tweeted by Kevin Rose last week is starting to look like it might well address my issues regarding Multiple Personas.

GoogleMe

View more documents from Paul Adams.
This might even be getting closer to what Charlene Li talks about when she describes the Future of Social Networking
SXSW09: The Future Of Social Networks

View more webinars from Charlene Li.
I certainly would be greatly relieved to be able to voice my views about topics and target the people in my network that would actually care about it.

How can Twitter be Used for Enterprise Collaboration?

Originally, I was going to post about the Kindle because I just ordered one and the implications of the Kindle to the publishing industry are overwhelming. But I didn’t receive it yet and I thought I would capture that real time instead (maybe even video?).

Instead, I’ve been thinking over the past year how Twitter can be  valuable for collaboration not only within an enterprise but also between an enterprise and their customers.  There’s been web chatter about Twitter’s secret monetization strategy and my theory is that they may be heading down this commercial path as more enterprise marketing organizations are beginning to leverage twitter for brand communications.

I’ve been a twitter user for more than a year.  I’ve primarily used it as  a mechanism to update fans on what I’m doing and finding out what kinds of things are interesting to them so as to incorporate these ideas into the podcast.  I’m amazed at how quickly Knitters (yes, with a capital K!) have caught on to the value of tools like Twitter and Plurk and how they  manage to incorporate Twitter/Plurk into their knitting work flow.

Some examples:

  • Cries out for help on pattern errors
  • Show and Tell on completed projects
  • Latest news in the industry
  • Updates from conferences and festivals

These are just a few off the top of my head.

So how can an enterprise leverage Twitter?

It’s ironic that just yesterday the discussion came up about how our organization is using Instant Messaging for better collaboration within our IT process and business processes.  It’s more timely than email, there are broadcast capabilities and there is a sense of immediacy that email doesn’t provide. It also includes attachment possibilities like email but is lighter weight.

I think Twitter, (hosted on the intranet or externally) is an interesting approach as well.  Since Twitter is an Opt-In or Subscription based platform, it cuts down on spamming messages and really targets people or messages that are valuable to the subscriber.

For instance:

  • Group activities can be announced as they occur this way all team members could subscribe to the group members to monitor broadcast current issues and status
  • Senior leaders can use it to keep the enterprise up to date on their activities. It’s not as cumbersome to twitter as it is to blog for someone of this level.
  • HR/Corp Communications organizations can update the enterprise on timely events and respond to concerns
  • Project teams can coordinate around the world and share progress and discussions.
  • Announcements to customers about product releases and announcements
  • Communications to customers on upcoming events

Again just a few ideas.

What about in your enterprise, are you using Twitter now or can you consider other approaches and uses for Twitter in your enterprise?