Shirts for Skittles!

It's Destination Imagination time again. My daughter's team has once again qualified for Globals, which means fundraising for them and the other teams from our town. We've got a great selection of t-shirts on sale to help raise funds: 

Those are two I think would be of more general interest. We also have four shirts with more of a town-centric or in-joke feel:

Please take a look at the shirts and buy some for yourself, your friends, and your families! If you can't buy shirts, share them on social media platforms! Links for sharing are available on the site: https://www.bonfire.com/store/bedford-ma-destination-imagination/

You can read more about the Bedford MADI program and our successful run at states this month on the Bedford Citizen!

Fundraising ideas for Destination Imagination Global Finals

My daughters got lucky and fell into a great Destination Imagination program at our town. Not everything has run perfectly, but we have been extremely blessed and are now preparing to head to globals for the second time. A large part of that preparation right now is fundraising. The move to Kansas City seems to have made it especially more expensive this year. My daughter's team seems to have had a lot of success with fundraising this year so I wanted to share some tips from what I've seen (mostly from the outside):

• Year-round fundraising. Ideally, fundraising occurs all year round and not just during the month or so between states and globals. The problem with this is what to do with the funds if you don't actually make it to globals? Our town has a non-profit that supports the DI program. Money accumulates with that organization so that it's there when a team does make it to globals. That's the theory, although I realize there's a lot of details in the implementation which I do not know.
• GoFundMe. We got tipped off to this during our first trip to globals and we're using it again. The site does take a fee off the top, but it's worth the cost in the ease of use. A lot of successful fundraising has to do with reducing friction for those who want to donate, and GoFundMe does a great job of that.
• Business sponsorships. Our town has a culture of working with local businesses to provide support for various things. It really does take a village. I realize that demographics and culture might make this a less viable option. Remember that it's a culture that has to start sometime and somewhere, so why not with supporting DI? You can even sweeten the deal by mentioning how you will display your gratitude for the fundraising. 
• Business fundraisers. This is another side of the previous item, but maybe more palatable for businesses. We have a number of restaurants in the area that will do proceed sharing nights. For example, 20% of the proceeds from orders at Ginger during April 23rd were donated to our town teams heading to Global Finals. I admit that the owners of the restaurant have a daughter on one of the teams, but I've seen other organizations do similar things with a local pizza place. It makes sense: you drive traffic to their restaurant and so everybody wins.
  
  
• Bonfire. We did a t-shirt fundraiser for the first time this year and it took off like gangbusters. Part of that came from a particularly popular design by the older sister of one of the team members, but even our less popular shirts did well. Obviously you want some kind of original design that will sell well, but that's a little like saying "buy low, sell high" on the stock market. 
• Cookies. A different organization we participate in uses selling cookie mixes and doughs to fundraise. We are dipping our toes into that a little right now, although I cannot report on the results for us yet. We have noticed success elsewhere with selling cookie doughs or mixes. It takes some time to create and deliver the goods, but the supplies are actually pretty cheap and yield a good return for what you sell. I've seen a similar approach done with pizzas. 
• Share. Share on every social media platform you have, and then do it again. Specifically, I am thinking of Facebook and Instagram. If you use Twitter, tweet early and often. Same with Pinterest. Even go for Reddit, if it fits. I am not sure about LinkedIn as a platform for this, but I tried it. I am not a Snapchat user so I did not use that myself, and the same goes for Whatsapp. I probably should have. Once you have the GoFundMe or Bonfire or whatever set up, market it on social media over and over and over again. 
• Individual emails. Email your family. Email your friends. Email everybody you know. Probably don't email your coworkers, but if they have an off-topic channel or list or forum, put it there. Don't spam people (email them repeatedly), but a single reach out shouldn't bother anybody. Ask for donations, but also ask for them to share with THEIR networks.

While it's great to score a big raise through these efforts, it's really more about eating the elephant: one bite at a time. Good luck and have fun!

Looking for dinner tonight while supporting some great kids?

Looking for a great dinner tonight and a chance to support a great Destination Imagination team? 

Visit or order take-out from Ginger today, Tuesday the 23rd. 20% of the proceeds go to Bedford DI! 88 Great Road, Bedford MA. 781-271-9988.

We have other ways to help support my daughter's  Destination Imagination team, the Skittleworms! They have qualified for and will attend the global competition this year. They attended two years ago and placed third in the world for their event. In addition to the hard work of preparing for their competition, we are all actively fundraising to help finance the trip. You can also help in any of the following ways:

• Visit the GoFundMe site and donate: https://www.gofundme.com/the-skittleworms-take-kansas-city. That's probably the easiest way to make a direct contribution.
• Check out the three awesome t-shirt designs we're selling:
• Women of science: https://www.bonfire.com/women-of-science/
• Bedford, MA: https://www.bonfire.com/bedford-01730/
• Creativity is contagious: https://www.bonfire.com/creativity-is-contagious/
• Interested in facilitating a corporate sponsorship? Please email me and I can get you additional information. 
• Sharing is caring! Please share these opportunities on social media and with your own networks. Most of the sites have sharing buttons: just click and add a few words! Extra points for sharing on networks without buttons (i.e. Pinterest, LinkedIn, email)!

Send the Skittleworms to Globals!

Please take a minute to visit the GoFundMe page for my daughter's Destination Imagination team. Donate if you can, but please at least share on social media even if you cannot. Thank you very much!

https://www.gofundme.com/send-the-skittleworms-to-globals

Changing Metaphors to Make Sense of Security in the Cloud

I have a new post on the Threat Stack blog!

Check out my other recent Threat Stack posts!

Boston SOURCE Conference 2016: I Got the T-Shirt and a Whole Lot More

I have a new post on the Threat Stack blog!

Check out my other recent Threat Stack posts!

Ride against cancer

One of my daughter's friends asked for donations toward her dad's bike ride against cancer. Please take a minute to look and donate if you can.

David Sachs's Ride

Please Help Frank Magori

I met Frank and his son a month ago. He has sacrificed so much and the workings of our country's adoption and immigration systems have hung him out to dry. He deserves the opportunity to provide for his son. A friend of mine put together this petition to help Frank out:

Change.org|Start an Online Petition

Please take a minute to sign the petition. Then, please take some time to market the petition as well. Share it, tweet it, email it, blog it, reddit it, pin it, market it! Frank needs all the help he can get here, including your family, friends, and social graph.

Frank Magori came to this country legally, and he paid taxes on what little income he’s earned. The Government came to Frank and asked him to adopt an infant and provide a loving home for a US citizen with serious health problems. He accepted the request, which forced him to leave school rendering his student visa obsolete. For eight years the Government has denied him the work authorization necessary to allow him to earn an income and provide for his son. As a result, Frank and his son were evicted from their home and are forced to live in a hotel using food stamps at taxpayer expense.

Why it's awesome to work at Bit9

I recently had the pleasure of attending some instruction from retired four-star General Bruce Carlson. The material covered a number of things, including some important life lessons. He emphasized the importance of making sure you love what you do, saying something along the lines of: “my wife tells me I had a job, but I don’t remember doing a single day of work. I got to fly planes for a living.” I suspect some degree of hyperbole, but it still made me think about where I currently choose to earn my living. Not only do I enjoy working at Bit9 (CrunchBase Profile), but I feel others should know that so they will join the company if given the opportunity.

Billerica Ward Preparedness and Self-Reliance Fair

My church congregation is having a preparedness and self-reliance fair. Lots of great resources, including nutrition, personal finance, and do-it-yourself maintenance.

Saturday, June 23rd. Tables open at 9:30 am. Classes begin at 10:15 am. Light lunch will be served. Nursery available; 18m -7.

Billerica LDS Building
70 Concord Rd
Billerica, MA 01821

Choose to be happy

Happiness is a choice. Why choose to murmur and be unhappy? Forget not to be be happy now.

Anybody can be a critic.

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends... Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere." - Brad Bird (via Anton Ego)

We have the freedom to choose. Do you want to choose to be the bitter critic or the inspiring artist?

Interviewing with BAE

Here is a description of the process I went through when interviewing for my first real job out of grad school. I interviewed with BAE-AIT specifically. The whole process started because I posted on Facebook that I needed a job. One of the employees in that office found that and sent me in as a referral. I had never met the guy or heard of the office, but it got things rolling and they kept rolling until I had a job! It has been three and a half years since I went through this process, so my memory fails me at some points.

1. I had my first interview over the phone with a section lead (manager of half-a-dozen people). He asked me about my history and my interests. No real technical questions, although we did talk intelligently about my school work up to that point. Whatever I said must have been good because they then decided to bring me across the country (from Utah to Massachusetts) for a full day of interviews.
   
2. I spent a solid day interviewing.
   
   1. My first interviewer gave me an overview of the company (with slides) and described the main product, ATIF. The technology was not directly related to my academic experience, but it looked cool and she claimed to like the questions I asked.
      
   2. Next, I gave my presentation. I essentially gave a combination of my LCTES and PLDI talks. It went really well. This, more than anything else, landed me the job (I think). My future manager asked me some fairly specific technical questions that I fielded well. One audience member asked me a question to make sure he understood what I had done. When I answered that he had it right, he leaned back in the chair with his hands on his head and said "wow."
      
   3. My first real interview did not go so hot. The interviewer asked me about object oriented design. I had known this was coming and had studied on the plane, but I still thought too much like a C programmer. I was glad to be done with this one.
      
   4. Second up was my future manager, although I did not know it at the time. He had asked some tough questions during my presentation, but the technical question he asked me during the interview was about bit manipulation. He wanted me to reverse the order of the bits in an int. Not a problem.
      
   5. I had one more interview before lunch. This one had a technical question about developing a protocol for communication between two processes. I did not think I handled it too well, but I also do not think I bombed it.
      
   6. For lunch I went with two section leads. They both spoke in glowing terms about the company, and their enthusiasm was contagious.
      
   7. The final technical interview that I remember went over a home grown data structure for managing search trees. The engineer I talked with and I just walked through the white paper and discussed the pieces. He did not seem to be trying to judge me as much as showing me what kinds of problems they dealt with.
      
   8. My last interview of the day was with the director (manager of a handful of sections). Unfortunately, my brain was fried by this point and I do not think I put up my best performance. I must not have done too bad, though. . .
      

Tired of snowstorms

I just want you to know that I am tired of snowstorms. There have been a ridiculous number this year, and the accumulation is way out of control. I took these pictures this morning. This first one is of our backyard play structure. This is at a different angle and includes a better view of the fence. I'll admit that the snow can be pretty on the trees. It's just that my back is starting to hurt just thinking about shoveling. The deck was shoveled as of two days ago. So all that is on there is fresh accumulation. This is the fourth time (I think) this season. Here is a view of the sad trees in my front yard. Yes, that's my front yard. I went upstairs and got an alternate view of the play structure. This one includes iccicles! A more boring picture of our backyard. You can see our poor snowman (or what's left of him). Here is the view to the street from upstairs. It is hard to see how big the snow banks have become. The worst ones are by my other driveway, but I couldn't get a good picture of them from inside. Finally, here is a view of the roof and the chimney for the fireplace we don't use. Two bad we have already used snowpocalypse and snowmageddon this year. I have a feeling we aren't done yet. We are also worried about when this all melts.

The Best Pizza in Provo UT and Arlington MA

I have long believed that Nicolitalia Pizzeria is the best pizza in Utah. Even better than The Pie. When I was out in Utah a year ago I had "eat at Nicolitalia's" on my list of things to do. It ended up not working out on that tripv(because we never went down to Provo), but it gives you an idea of how much I liked their pizza.

My wife and I were some of their first customers after they opened in 2005. We took our siblings to it for major events. We chatted it up with the owner. The owner told us about his pursuit of good cannolis. He shared a three day birth story with my pregnant wife right before we had our first child (after a labor spanning three days). He told us about his family's restaurant back in Massachusetts. On one of our last times there I discussed with my group how it was a shame the place was so empty. I worried that he would have to close up. That was a few years ago.

Tonight my wife and I went on a date. We have a notoriously bad time choosing where to go eat. Today I decided to try a pizza place called Nicola Pizza House in Arlington, Massachusetts. I thought this was probably the family restaurant related to Nicolitalia's, but my wife was not convinced. She thought it was in Worcester. When we found the pizzeria it looked like a bit of a dive, isolated and next to an auto mechanic. My wife was even a little nervous about the neighborhood. Don't worry, we made it in safely.

On the way in I noticed some pictures of the pizza and they looked similar to Nicolitalia's. As I walked in familiar smells surrounded me, but I also was overwhelmed by the menu which stretched across the wall and was several feet deep. Other customers were around, so we felt a little pressure to make an order. My wife still did not believe Nicola's was related to Nicolitalia's, so she ordered a steak & cheese. I decided that sounded pretty good and got one as well. While we were eating we saw a number of people come in and pick up pizzas, while some townies came in and got a sub.

Then my wife overheard somebody asking the owner, Nick, about his son, Nick Jr. The father then explained how Junior was doing really well serving the best pizza in Utah. What was the likelihood? We decided to ask and make sure. We talked to Nick as we left and confirmed the relationship. We then found out the business in Utah was doing really well, and they were opening a second store in between Salt Lake City and Provo. Senior explained that his son was coming to town for Thanksgiving and that we could see him next Saturday. He got our names and said he was going to ask him about us. We tried to tell him it had been a while since we'd been there, but he didn't seem to care.

We were happy to hear that Nicolitalia's was doing well, but we were more excited to find the same style pizza locally in Massachusetts. My wife then repeatedly berated herself for not believing me and therefore not ordering a pizza. Unfortunately, our plans for the rest of the evening fell through. After socializing a bit with some people we ran into, we decided we needed to go back and get a pizza. So we called in an order, drove back to Nicola's, parked right in front, and I went in (my wife stayed in the car).

Nick: Nathan! You are back so soon. What's wrong?

I explained that my wife had not believed me that this was the original family restaurant.

Nick: Wasn't that your wife with you earlier?

I clarified that she had believed Nick, but that she had not believed me before we asked him. I then told him that we had ordered a pizza. He got me it and I asked about the cannolis.

Nick: We have packs of two large ones that are chocolate or packs of four small ones. If you want a pack of two large ones that aren't chocolate, I can go back and make you some.

I ran out and asked my wife, and then came back in to finish my order. I explained that my brother-in-law was a fan of Nicolitalia's and he was watching my kids. Nick asked about my kids as I paid. As I was leaving I mentioned that we would probably be coming by a lot more now. He explained that he had been doing it for almost forty years. I don't think he gets many referrals in that direction.

So we brought back a Nicola Pizza House pizza and four cannolis. Then my brother and sister-in-law joined us in eating it all. We had a chicken and broccoli pizza, just like we used to at Nicolitalia Pizzeria, and it was still awesome.

Shout out to Wooster Roofing

Let's be honest: there are a lot of things wrong with my house. Most of the things we knew about going into the purchase, some we did not. One item that falls into the first category was the flashing on the roof. The previous owners had put on a fairly nice roof, but had then put some awful patch-job on instead of real flashing (see "before" pictures below). Last winter there was a leak in my daughter's bedroom and this summer we saw evidence of a couple other leaks. It was time to act.

So I called around, read customer reviews, and got a couple estimates. After discussing with my wife, we picked a local company called Wooster Roofing. Yesterday they started the job and today they finished it up. I think it looks fairly nice (see "after" pictures below). This flashing, along with our new gutters, and some better drainage (i.e. gutter extensions) should help us keep water outside of our house (including the basement). Yay!

Before	After

If you are looking for some roof work in the Massachusetts area, give Wooster a call. I am pleased with the results. So far. Maybe I won't be the next time it rains, but I expect I will be still.

Article in Lowell Sun about new bishop and upcoming Thanksgiving linger-longer

I know, that title goes on and on and on. It adequately describes the topic of this post. The Lowell Sun interviewed the newly called ecclesiastical leader of my church congregation and printed the resulting article.

My local church congregation (Mormons call congregations "wards") is having a linger-longer (social gathering after regular meetings) on Sunday November 21st. It is an annual tradition. This past Saturday we delivered invitations. Should be a good time and the food is always excellent.

Check out the article on the Lowell Sun's website: Thanks for coming by Debbie Hovanasian. Please share the article with others (use the sharing buttons on the Lowell Sun's website)!

New England's Best Movers

On Thursday I put our old couch on craigslist. Within a few minutes I received an email from someone who wanted it. Last night he came by and picked it up. A similar thing happened with our old wood stove. This time I was expecting it so I pulled the ad as soon as I heard from the first person. Anyway, another success from craigslist. One can almost always count on somebody wanting something that's free.

On to the point of this post: New England's Best Movers. The fellow who picked up my couch used the opportunity to give me some business cards. He has recently started a moving/removal/delivery/anything company called New England's Best Movers. The emphasis in the name is on moving, but it sounds like they'll do just about any job.

I have not actually used their service (yet), but the guy was nice and I thought I could express my gratitude for taking our couch away by giving a little shout out. They are based in Revere, Massachusetts.

Press release for Billerica congregation open house

A press release the Stake Public Affairs representative wrote up for our church open house this Sunday:

For Immediate Release
May 27, 2010

Latter–day Saints Opening Doors of Billerica Meetinghouse to Local Community

Billerica – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is holding an open house for the community at its Billerica meetinghouse this Sunday, May 30, from 9:00 - 9:45 a.m.

“The open house is an opportunity for our friends and neighbors to see how we worship and to build bridges of mutual understanding,” said Bishop Dan Adams, who leads the Billerica congregation. “One of the best ways to understand what Latter-day Saints are about is to get to know us. You’ll see how faith influences our lives and how we embrace values and beliefs that are familiar to other people of faith.”

During the open house, community members will be able to tour the meetinghouse and learn about some of the Church’s programs, such as its missionary and humanitarian work, and the Church’s commitment to family history. Members of the Billerica congregation will also be available to discuss the Church’s basic beliefs, and programs for men, women, children, and youth.

The meetinghouse serves nearly 400 Latter-day Saints from Billerica, Burlington, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Hanscom Air Force Base. Weekly Sunday services in tens of thousands of Church buildings worldwide are open to all people, without obligation and regardless of whether or not they are members of the Church.

“We share common ground with those who revere the Bible and its teachings that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Savior of the world,” said Adams. “We also believe other scriptures, including the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, which serves as an additional witness to the ministry of Christ and His divinity.”

“Regardless of doctrinal differences, we regularly join with people of many faiths to address the needs in our community and around the world, and this open house is an opportunity for community members to learn more about Latter-day Saints, and for Latter-day Saints to meet with our neighbors,” said Adams.

Directions to the chapel: The Billerica meetinghouse is located at 70 Concord Road in Billerica, MA. To get to the building, proceed on Route 3 to Exit 27, turn right on Concord Road, go East for one mile, and the chapel is on the right. Following the open house, visitors are invited to attend worship services from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

For more information about the open house, contact Matthew Bates, Director of Public Affairs for the Nashua, New Hampshire Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 603-318-6521, or by e-mail: matthewcarterbates@gmail.com.

Billerica Ward Open House

The Billerica congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is having an open house on Sunday, May 30th. The Billerica congregation serves the towns of Billerica, Burlington, Tewksbury, Wilmington, Bedford, Concord, Carlisle, and Hanscom AFB. Tours of the building will occur between 9:00 and 9:45 am. Normal Sunday meetings follow:

• 10:00 - 11:10 am - Sacrament meeting (main meeting as a congregation)
• 11:15 - 12:00 pm - Sunday school, Primary, and Nursery
• 12:05 -  1:00 pm - Men, women, youth, and children groups

Meetings will discuss fundamental beliefs of the church. Open house and meetings take place at the Billerica Ward building:

70 Concord Rd
Billerica, MA 01821

View Larger Map

Please come and check things out. If you have any questions then feel free to email me, write a comment, or give me a call.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are more commonly known as mormons

Flooding

My basement flooded for the third time today. It was the second time it flooded significantly. Although the previous owners of the house claimed this was not going to happen, we figured it would. Part of the problem is that the gutters are in bad shape. That will be one of the first things we fix with our tax return this year. Our home inspector said that is the first thing to look at if our basement floods.

Luckily I have experience with flooding basements; it just comes with living in Massachusetts. The basement in my parent's house used to flood while I was in high school. They had a sump pump in one corner of the basement, so we would use towels to direct water and sweep it into the sump pump. That's how I roll in my current house. No sump pump, but the garage is at the basement level. The water gets pushed into the garage and then out into the driveway.

Unfortunately, a lot of the basement paint is coming up with the sweeping. Not that we were that attached. It is a half-decent basement that I expect we will use well someday, but for now we use it mostly for storage (in Rubbermaid tubs).