I am no longer the only one in my circle reporting to the Internet. Fellow FAU electrical engineer and roboticist Melissa Morris has recently launched her site with a name I wholeheartedly endorse: melissatronic.com! Visit for information about her robotics research and other engineering projects.

In the interest of saving my soul through good works I have recently taken in a family of unfortunates: two lost kittens! They are street cats, brother and sister, 6 weeks old and a shade over a pound each. I have given them the unlikely Estonian names of Miuks (the girl) and Murakas (the boy).

Murakas is all black with blue eyes and is bigger and more adventurous, leading the way into all sorts of danger. He also sleeps a great deal and seems to be visibly growing by the day.

Miuks has white paws and white whiskers, and green and blue eyes. She has a bit more of a nervous temperament, hopping into the air on spindly legs when alarmed, but she purrs like a motorboat when petted and enjoys chomping on her brother's tail.

It is an open question as to which one will be the most trouble.

Both kittens have their first shots, de-worm-ings, and de-flea-ings; they are using the litter box regularly and in already disturbing volume (probably a consequence of the six square meals a day they require). When not locked in furious combat or spelunking in search of ever more unlikely crevices to hide in, they sleep on each other's heads in a fuzzy little pile.

I promise not to let this site become a catblog.

Not great photos this time; the light was flat due to an overcast sky. Beautiful place, though - oldest cypress swamp in Florida, with trees over 500 years old in places. The swamp was bone dry this day as the beginning of May is the end of the dry season.

An instant classic from the Busch Gardens log flume, with Jay Wilson and myself. This one was just too funny to leave behind.

Of all the 500 series modular scopes made by Tektronix, the 547 is one of the most desirable due to its 50 MHz bandwidth and innovative dual timebases. When released, this machine was way-hot high tech, crammed with a mix of vacuum tubes and discrete semiconductors, and worth as much as a new car. I got mine through a friend who found it at a church rummage sale and paid $10 for it, complete with cart, some extra modules, and manuals for everything. Any problems? Well sure—the thing's been in service for 40 years, knocked about by at least two private companies (judging by the calibration stickers) and its original owner, the United States Navy. A short list:

• The dust filter that covered the fan was missing, because the bolts that kept the bezel on were sheared off—though the bezel came with the scope in the drawer of the cart, at least.
• The original power inlet was cracked, and missing its ground pin, which is more than a little dangerous.
• The fuse holder was chewed up and unable to retain the fuse and cap, which was missing entirely.