Violet's Return to College and Her Amazing Career at IBM/Loral/Lockheed-Owego

This is the fourth in my "Virtual Sitting Shiva" series of Blog postings of memories of Violet (Stark) Glickstein, my dear wife of 57 years, who sadly passed away November 27, 2021. [The first posting in this series is Here]

VIOLET'S REMARKABLE CAREER AT THIS OWEGO IBM/LORAL/LOCKHEED-MARTIN FACILITY

When Violet retired, in 1999, from her position as Lead Software Engineer for the HH-60D Night Stalker Helicopter project, she left behind a remarkable record of 16 years of amazing accomplishments at this Owego, NY facility.

However, let us start at the begining, when ...

WE BOUGHT ONE OF THE FIRST APPLE II COMPUTERS

In February 1978, we purchased one of the first 3000 Apple II home computers, a momentous decision fully supported by Violet. She and I, and our three girls, quickly learned to use the Apple II.

Thus, in 1980, when the Owego Free Academy (our local public high school) purchased their first Apple II computers, it was natural for the teacher to turn to our oldest daughter, Lisa, for help in demonstrating it to other students. The Binghamton (NY) newspaper ran a story in May 1980 titled "Computer age arrives in Owego", featuring a photo of Lisa doing just that.

A follow-up story, in June 1980, titled "Computer has family plugged in" featured a photo of our younger daughters, Rena and Sara, using our Apple II, along with Violet's positive comments fully justifying the expense. At the time, Violet was taking programming courses at Broome Community College, 

LEFT: Lisa demonstrates a computer at her school in Owego, NY.

RIGHT: Rena and Sara demonstrate our Apple II at home.

BOTTOM: Violet, Rena, and Sara were interviewed about our computer.

I (Ira) was using our Apple II at home, experimenting with simulations of Artificial Intelligence. It wasn't long before I started lugging our Apple II into the IBM facility to teach a course on that topic. Thus, in 1981 when IBM (finally!) came out with the PC-1, I was assigned the job of teaching engineers how to use this new tool and was the first person at the facility to have a PC in his office.  

WE BOUGHT AN IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

We also purchased one of the first IBM PCs for home use.

Meanwhile, Violet switched from Broome Community College to Binghamton University for graduate courses that led to her earning her 1983 Master's degree in Computer Science (20 yeas after earning her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry undergraduate degree).

1983 was also the year that I earned membership in the IBM Federal Systems Division "Golden Circle" for my innovative use of the IBM PC to develop the Rational Cockpit and Multi-Purpose Display Concepts, as well as being the Lead Systems Engineer on the HH-60 D Special Operations Helicopter Technical Proposal.

TOP LEFT: Ira used the PC to develop and demonstrate Advanced Visionics concepts for helicopter pilots.

RIGHT: Ira's innovative use of the IBM PC to develop and demonstrate Multi-Puirpose Computer Display concepts, and his role as the Lead Engineer for IBM's HH-60 Technical Proposal, resulted in an IBM Federal Systems Division Golden Circle Award that included a trip for Violet and Ira to Hawaii.

BOTTOM LEFT: In 1984, an issue of the IBM Federal Systems Division "Technical Directions" magazine was devoted to "The Rational Cockpit and Advanced Automation" based partly on Ira's work.

VIOLET STARTS HER SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CAREER AT IBM-OWEGO

Violet's Master's Degree in Computer Science qualified her for a Software Engineering job at IBM-Owego in 1984.

TOP LEFT: As a result of our getting an Apple II home computer, Violet earned her Master's in Computer Science from Binghamton University, taught there, and then got a job at IBM Owego. (Keeping up with Violet, Ira earned his Master's in System Science in 1990 and his PhD in System Science from Binghamton University in 1996.)

BOTTOM LEFT: IBM Marketing award.

MIDDLE: Violet was the Lead Software Engineer for the Army Special Operations Project and received an Appreciation Award.

TOP RIGHT: Ira and Violet on vacation in Tahiti.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Lockheed-Martin Recognition Award.

LEFT; Violet and Ira in the Owego Artificial Intelligence laboratory in 1986.
TOP RIGHT: An issue of IBM FSD's "Technical Directions" included an article by Ira about "AI Aids for the Pilot".
BOTTOM RIGHT: Ira taught a course on "Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Life" at the Brandeis University (Boston) "Summer Odyssey" in 2000 and 2001.

While working and after retirement, we each taught online graduate courses for the University of Maryland University College up until 2013. (Ira in System Engineering and Violet in Software Engineering).

VIRTUALLY EVERYONE WHO WORKED WITH VIOLET AT OWEGO RESPECTED HER. THE ABSOLUTE PROOF IS IN THE NOTES DOZENS OF HER FELLOW EMPLOYEES WROTE IN ALL FOUR MARGINS OF THE PHOTO OF THE OWEGO IBM/LORAL/LOCKHEED-MARTIN FACILITY. 

DOUBLE-TAP EACH OF THE FOLLOWING FOUR IMAGES SO THEY EXPAND  AND FILL YOUR SCREEN. THEN PLEASE READ THEM!

POST RETIREMENT ADVENTURE

Violet retired in 1999 while I continued to 2001. In 2002, with both of us retired, we were able to have a wonderful 8-day raft adventure through the Grand Canyon. 

We were on a 15-passenger raft with a crew of three and camped along the Colorado River, like this.   

Of course, everything brought into the canyon had to be brought out, including all garbage from food service and even our poop! At each stop, the crew set up two poop stations, one in a tent and the other in the open. 

The photo on the left shows me on the "scenic" poop station, which I preferred because it had fewer flies and smelled better.  Violet (no surprise) preferred the tent poop station. However, like all of us, she peed and bathed in the cold (48 degree) river (women upstream and men downstream). 

 

The more I think about my wonderful life with Violet, including her willingness to step outside her normal lifestyle (that we might call "civilized"), as she did on this Grand Canyon adventure, the more I miss her.

So, please join me in thinking about your good and eventful times with Violet. Read subsequent postings on this Blog about events I remember. If you'd like, you could put on some slippers, sit on your couch, and join me and others in a "virtual" Shiva for Violet.

Love to all, and specially elevated kisses and hugs to Violet, from her husband,

Ira Glickstein

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NOTE:  This is the fourth of our "Virtual Sitting Shiva", the traditional Jewish custom of relatives and friends devoting seven days to specially remembering the deceased.

Violet and Ira Glickstein were married in 1964. See our 50th Anniversary memories in the following postings include highlights of our life together.

CLICK THE HYPERTEXT BELOW TO JUMP TO YOUR TOPIC OF CHOICE

1. Wedding and Farm Days 
2. Passing the Genes and Memes
3. Computers R Us (Ira and Vi's careers)
4. Retirement in The Villages, FL
5. Our 50th Anniversary Baltic Cruise (Air Travel and Shipboard activities)
6. Our 50th Anniversary Baltic Cruise (Land-Tours)

50th-0 CELEBRATING OUR 50th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY (tvpclub.blogspot.com)

Amazon Prime Air, DHL, UPS Drone Delivery Concepts

Amazon, DHL, UPS and other corporations are researching futuristic concepts for air delivery of small packages, perhaps in as little as a half hour after the customer places his or her order. I think it is a great idea and it will happen within several years, but (IMHO) the implementation needs some adjustment.


AMAZON VIDEO DEPICTION

You've probably seen the Amazon conceptual video where a small drone helicopter swoops down onto someone's driveway or backyard, lands, releases a small package, and takes off. Then the resident comes out and claims his package.

Well, I don't know about you, but I do not think it likely that we'll see this type of drone helicopter flying at ground level in residential neighborhoods, given the fact it has sharp, rapidly spinning rotors, exposed on each side and at a perfect height to injure any person or pet who happens to be in the way.

There is great danger in having any aircraft flying below tree or rooftop level except at an airport or helicopter landing pad!

Imagine a distracted motorist swerving into pedestrians or other cars when the Amazon Prime Air helo zooms across the street and lands on someone's lawn! Or some resident who comes out to claim his or her package and gets nicked by the helo rotor as it takes off. And what about the danger of the drone getting snagged by the branches of a tree, or a fence, or a troublemaker seizing it just for fun?

A BETTER CONCEPT (IMHO)

As illustrated in the above image, I think it makes much more sense for the drone aircraft to hover above tree and rooftop level and use a cable to lower the package to the customer's driveway or backyard, or to the flat roof of an apartment house or office building. Don't you?

Once the package is safely on the ground, an automated hook will release it and the cable will be pulled back up to the drone. This kind of implementation would allow the safe use of larger drones, with the capability to carry larger packages or multiple packages, more economically.

If the hook or cable gets tangled in a tree or fence, or grabbed by some troublemaker, it could be automatically detached at the drone end, and the drone could safely fly away. The company would send out a crew to retrieve the cable, and, if it was a troublemaker, summon the police.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

As the song says, "No need to remember when/'Cause everything old is new again". Many years ago, some rural towns in Australia got their mail and small packages via a fixed-wing aircraft that loitered in a tight orbit and lowered a basket on a cable. The locals would retrieve the incoming mail, and place outgoing mail in the basket, as depicted in the image below. (I have not been able to locate any information on the Internet about this method of air delivery and would appreciate it if anyone can supply more specific information or, even better, a photograph.)

I heard about this type of air mail service decades ago when I was working for IBM Federal Systems in Owego, NY, and visited the USAF Academy in connection with the first version of the AC-130 Spectre that we fitted with controls, displays and computers.  The Air Force officers told me about the Australian air mail orbit delivery method and said it was the trigger for their idea of having a transport-type aircraft, fitted with side-firing artillery, doing a pylon turn to very accurately strike ground targets from altitude.

The image above, showing the Kaman K-Max carrying a heavy tethered load, is from this video. According to the video, there is an unmanned version of this helicopter and some of the systems work for this project is being done at my old work location, Owego, NY (now Lockheed-Martin). 

According to Wikipedia this helicopter "can be used in combat to deliver supplies to the battlefield, as well as civilian situations involving chemical, biological, or radiological hazards".  

Ira Glickstein