The countdown begins..

For those of you who don’t already know, Nan and I are now parents to be! We found out about a month ago, but have been holding off telling everyone until we had our first appointment with the doctor. That happened last week, and everything is fine. The picture is the first sonogram. The baby is the small horizontally positioned object in the middle. At the time we got this image, the baby was only about the size of a grape.

I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this appointment. I’ve never been one to be afraid of the doctor, but I’m also lucky enough to not have a reason to go very often. I was fairly sure that everything would be fine, but I was a bit nervous. I have to admit I also wasn’t prepared for the probe they use to do the early sonograms. (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask someone who has kids already…) Once the sonogram was done, that was really about it. I think once we saw that there really was a baby in there it became a little more “real” and reassuring at the same time.

I think it’s always exciting to open a new chapter in your life. It’s especially exciting since the change is due to actually creating a new life whose care will be entrusted to you. Everyone has told us how much our lives will change, and I’m sure they will. So there it is, we’re parents to be. Wish us luck! 🙂

A trip down memory lane…

Erik S. Klein’s Vintage Computer Collection – Home of historical computers such as Altair, Apple, Commodore and IBM

I found a link to this site while browsing the news this evening and reminisced about my early experiences with computers. This guy has a very nice collection. With the exception of machines like the Altair and IMSAI which were a bit before my time, I’ve actually used many of the machines in his collection. My first was Tandy’s TRS-80 Model 1. Ah, the days of ROM carts, cassette tape drives and hours in front of the tube.

Scientists engineer cancer-busting T-cells

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: Engineered Immune Cells Beat Back Cancer

This is perhaps the biggest news I’ve read to date on cancer fighting technology. Aparently researchers studying a man whose immune system fought off cancer were able to isolate the genes responsible. They then introduced this modification into the white blood cells of other cancer patients. The results were astonishing. The modification enhances the T-cell’s ability to detect cancer cells and attack them. The experiment resulted in complete remission for 2 of the 17 patients in the test. That alone is pretty amazing. Thanks to my Mom for telling me about this story…