I crossed the US-Canada border today.
The process was fast and simple enough. However many of the "facts" on my visa were wrong and the gentleman at the border had to fix them. Evidently my last name was "Dustin James Webb" and I had no first or middle names, I was listed as a mechanical engineer not a computer scientist, and I was destined for Calgary, Alberta, not Montreal, Quebec. Oh, and I came to Canada in 2002, not today. I guess all the paper work we submitted to the NY consulate was for show as was the processing time for our visas. And no, my identity was not stolen. I won't go into the details on how I know this though.
Shortly after leaving the border I stopped for food. Ironically the first place I saw was a Tim Hortons. Naturally I had soup and a coffee to combat the cold. Even given all the warnings from friends and family about just how cold it is here I was still not prepared. It is insanely cold. And yes, I consider 30-40 degrees + large windchill factor to be insanely cold. I don't look forward to sub-zero temperatures.
Unfortunately I lost internet access on my phone at the border. Apparently T-mobile does not offer it to their US customers through their local partner. Worse yet I have had horrible cell reception. Google maps cached the info to get from the border to Toronto. But that took me downtown and I was unable to get direction anywhere else at that point. As such I set out to find a gas station and a hotel which are both very difficult tasks without reliable means of communication. This would not have been a problem if I had actually let my wife book my hotel when she had intended. As it is I am paying nearly twice what I should be for a hotel tonight. C'est la vie!
I also had fun trying to fill my tank. For reasons I still don't understand the gas pumps at the station I found would not accept our credit card. So I went into the store to pay in advance. The attendant asked how much I wanted so asked the price. He said it was 1.50 CAD! I was astounded. I have been paying about $3.50 on average throughout this trip. But I shrugged it off and asked for $12 because our Prius only has an 8 gallon tank. It turns out they measure gas in litres here. Duh! Place this one in the category "should have seen that coming." Oh well, my tank is currently half full which is better than the gallon or so I had when I found the station.
Tomorrow, Montreal!
20140308
20140116
Making Learning Fun with Electronics and Robotics
In my last two posts I discussed my thoughts on making learning fun. In the first post the vehicle was games while in second post the vehicle was scientific experimentation. Electronics and robotics seem to me another possible vehicle. While I have a fair bit of experience with these topics I have not done much with them as a educational tool.
I'm most excited about using the Lego Mindstroms. This is Lego's robotics kits. While it is recommended for kids ages 10 and up it actually allows for construction of real autonomous robots. It comes with several sensors for measuring features of the environment such as light intensity, color, distance to the nearest object, audio, and the rotations of it's own motors. It introduces children to programming using a language called NXT-G which is a visual programming language. Think programming via legos. And of course it's compatible with all things Lego.
I look forward to use the Mindstorms to teach everything from mechanics and programming to how to use sensors and basic motion planning techniques.
My motivation for using the Mindstorms as an educational tool comes from my experience volunteering for First Lego League (FLL). FLL is a program for children between 9 and 15 years of age that promotes science and technology. Each year the kids are given a topic about which they must learn. To aid in the learning process they are given a large game board with lots of challenges built out of Lego pieces. The kids must then build one or more robots to solve the challenges. FLL is part of a larger program called FIRST, but is my favorite because the robots made by the kids are actually truly autonomous. For several years now I have volunteered as a robot design judge and through that effort I have seen just how excited the kids can get about learning and solving real world problems.
My children are not yet old enough to participate in FLL. However my son and I have started a Jr. First Lego League (Jr.FLL) team. Jr.FLL is like FLL but shoots to teach the basics of design, mechanics, research, and team building. In fact he and his team will be showing off they have learned about natural disasters on January 25th (2014) at the University of Utah Student Union building. Please feel free to come talk to them. I must warn you though, the FLL finals will be going on at the same time so the place will be an absolute mad house.
An alternative to the Mindstorms are Bo & Yana by iPlay. They are meant to teach the basics of programming, sensing, and actuation. We have not received ours yet but they look promising and are even compatible with other systems like the Mindstorms which should allow for a simple transition when the time is right.
Still another alternative are the solutions from Modular Robotics called Cubelets and their latest product called MOSS. These are just cubes with basic sensing and actuation capabilities that snap together using magnets. But in connecting them one is making simple robots. Unfortunately the MOSS Kickstarter came and went before I could get involved. If anyone has these, I would be interested in hearing about your experience with them. Specifically MOSS.
I'm most excited about using the Lego Mindstroms. This is Lego's robotics kits. While it is recommended for kids ages 10 and up it actually allows for construction of real autonomous robots. It comes with several sensors for measuring features of the environment such as light intensity, color, distance to the nearest object, audio, and the rotations of it's own motors. It introduces children to programming using a language called NXT-G which is a visual programming language. Think programming via legos. And of course it's compatible with all things Lego.
I look forward to use the Mindstorms to teach everything from mechanics and programming to how to use sensors and basic motion planning techniques.
My motivation for using the Mindstorms as an educational tool comes from my experience volunteering for First Lego League (FLL). FLL is a program for children between 9 and 15 years of age that promotes science and technology. Each year the kids are given a topic about which they must learn. To aid in the learning process they are given a large game board with lots of challenges built out of Lego pieces. The kids must then build one or more robots to solve the challenges. FLL is part of a larger program called FIRST, but is my favorite because the robots made by the kids are actually truly autonomous. For several years now I have volunteered as a robot design judge and through that effort I have seen just how excited the kids can get about learning and solving real world problems.
My children are not yet old enough to participate in FLL. However my son and I have started a Jr. First Lego League (Jr.FLL) team. Jr.FLL is like FLL but shoots to teach the basics of design, mechanics, research, and team building. In fact he and his team will be showing off they have learned about natural disasters on January 25th (2014) at the University of Utah Student Union building. Please feel free to come talk to them. I must warn you though, the FLL finals will be going on at the same time so the place will be an absolute mad house.
An alternative to the Mindstorms are Bo & Yana by iPlay. They are meant to teach the basics of programming, sensing, and actuation. We have not received ours yet but they look promising and are even compatible with other systems like the Mindstorms which should allow for a simple transition when the time is right.
Still another alternative are the solutions from Modular Robotics called Cubelets and their latest product called MOSS. These are just cubes with basic sensing and actuation capabilities that snap together using magnets. But in connecting them one is making simple robots. Unfortunately the MOSS Kickstarter came and went before I could get involved. If anyone has these, I would be interested in hearing about your experience with them. Specifically MOSS.
Of course to build a robot it helps to know something about electronics. One need not be an expert by any means but it helps to be able to build simple circuits. A few years ago I encountered a method for teaching children about circuits called Squishy Circuits. The foundation of this idea is to use "playdough", i.e. modeling compound, to make circuits. It turns out that if you make a modeling compound using a salt base it conducts electricity. Conversely, if you make a modeling compound with a sugar base it does not conduct electricity. As such you can make small sculptures from the two different types. Circuits can then be formed by connecting conductive portions of the sculpture with discrete components like a battery pack and LEDs.
There are a lot of other solutions out there for teaching children about electrics and circuits but I have no experience with any of them. Some of the ones I have found are:
Again, if you have any experience with these I would like to hear your thoughts.
20140108
Making Learning Fun with Experiments
In my last post I talked about how to take advantage of games to make learning fun. By no means is this an original idea. In fact it's rather obvious. Another approach which is probably again pretty obvious is to do experiments.
Their are numerous sites describing fun experiments. One that everyone seems to know is the classic baking-soda-vinegar volcano. For anyone that may be unfamiliar you take something like dirt or clay and sculpt a volcanic cone with an extra deep caldera. From there you pour in some baking-powder into the caldera. Finally you pour in some vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar react and discharge carbon dioxide in the form of bubbles that are heavier than air so, when done correctly, the bubbles overflow the volcano and spill down the sides much like a lava flow from a real volcano would.
This experiment is a great experiment because it opens the door to talking about all kinds of things from the structure of the earth, to how volcanoes form, to how volcanos can lead to other natural disasters like earth quakes and tsunamis, how pyroclastic flow can in a way preserve whatever it hits. For us the volcano devolved to just mixing baking soda and vinegar. After all, who doesn't like watching a vigorous chemical reaction? Even this is great though as it opens the door for talking about things like pressure, surface tension, and chemistry. In a similar vein, the Coke and Mentos experiment is always fun to do. Last I read the reaction wasn't well understood but it's clear that the process is releasing a lot of gas in short order.
Another experiment we have had fun with is the basic electromagnet. Again for those that are unfamiliar you wrap a length of wire around something like an iron bolt and connect the two ends of the wire to the opposite ends of a battery. It is important that the object around which you wrap the wire is ferrous. We usually call this object the core. The movement of the electrons through the wire then produces an electromagnetic field which is amplified by whatever you use for your core. From there you can use whatever other magnetic objects you have lying around to show the formation and destruction of the magnetic field as you connect and disconnect the battery.
It is not necessary for the experiment to seem obviously fun though. Take for instance testing soil types. In this experiment you gather a couple of soil samples from different places. Potting soil and dirt from outside are great. You put the potting soil in a jar, the dirt in another, and then mix of both into yet a third. Then fill the jars with water, cap them, and shake. What do you get? Mud! Of course the educational part comes from the discussion that ensues when everything settles and talking about how long it takes to settle. My son and I played with this experiment for a couple of days.
As I eluded to earlier, the list of possible experiments is endless. They often lead to the same discussions but that doesn't make them any less fun. To close out this post I will leave you with some links to other particularly fun experiments:
Their are numerous sites describing fun experiments. One that everyone seems to know is the classic baking-soda-vinegar volcano. For anyone that may be unfamiliar you take something like dirt or clay and sculpt a volcanic cone with an extra deep caldera. From there you pour in some baking-powder into the caldera. Finally you pour in some vinegar. The baking soda and vinegar react and discharge carbon dioxide in the form of bubbles that are heavier than air so, when done correctly, the bubbles overflow the volcano and spill down the sides much like a lava flow from a real volcano would.
This experiment is a great experiment because it opens the door to talking about all kinds of things from the structure of the earth, to how volcanoes form, to how volcanos can lead to other natural disasters like earth quakes and tsunamis, how pyroclastic flow can in a way preserve whatever it hits. For us the volcano devolved to just mixing baking soda and vinegar. After all, who doesn't like watching a vigorous chemical reaction? Even this is great though as it opens the door for talking about things like pressure, surface tension, and chemistry. In a similar vein, the Coke and Mentos experiment is always fun to do. Last I read the reaction wasn't well understood but it's clear that the process is releasing a lot of gas in short order.
Another experiment we have had fun with is the basic electromagnet. Again for those that are unfamiliar you wrap a length of wire around something like an iron bolt and connect the two ends of the wire to the opposite ends of a battery. It is important that the object around which you wrap the wire is ferrous. We usually call this object the core. The movement of the electrons through the wire then produces an electromagnetic field which is amplified by whatever you use for your core. From there you can use whatever other magnetic objects you have lying around to show the formation and destruction of the magnetic field as you connect and disconnect the battery.
It is not necessary for the experiment to seem obviously fun though. Take for instance testing soil types. In this experiment you gather a couple of soil samples from different places. Potting soil and dirt from outside are great. You put the potting soil in a jar, the dirt in another, and then mix of both into yet a third. Then fill the jars with water, cap them, and shake. What do you get? Mud! Of course the educational part comes from the discussion that ensues when everything settles and talking about how long it takes to settle. My son and I played with this experiment for a couple of days.
As I eluded to earlier, the list of possible experiments is endless. They often lead to the same discussions but that doesn't make them any less fun. To close out this post I will leave you with some links to other particularly fun experiments:
- Rock Candy: This one takes a bit longer but you get a treat in the end.
- Fluorescent Jello: Not so tasty, but it glows in the dark!
- Squishy Circuits: This is great for introducing children to both chemistry and electronics.
20140101
Making Learning Fun with Games
In the last few days I have had a couple of conversations with friends about teaching children. These conversations have inspired me to write a bit about my thoughts on the topic. My experience basically comes from teaching my own son. I strongly believe in the need for parents to supplement their childs education. To the point that I try to work with my kids a little bit every day.
As anyone with children will likely tell you it can be difficult at times to maintain their interest. Even if you are incredibly passionate about a topic it can be challenging to imbue them with that passion. One thing I have noticed while working with my son is that he gets excited when the solutions come easily. Conversely, failure to immediately understand quickly leads to disinterest. This would seem to imply a need for instant gratification. For that reason I often seek ways of removing that need or replacing that need in some way.
One obvious but still great method to address this problem while still providing a lesson is through games. Any gamer will tell you as much. Not just because they are attempting to justify their pastime but because any games provide myriad lessons in the guise of entertainment. Two of my favorite games are DragonBox and LightBot.
DragonBox teaches the principles of algebra without focusing on the mathematical foundations. It simply challenges the child with a puzzle that involves isolating an object from a set of others using the rules of algebra. Early in the game it doesn't even use numbers, just pictures, so that the child may focus on the rules. Unfortunately there isn't enough content. My son has beat this game numerous times and basically lost interest.
LightBot teaches the basics of programming. The objective is to get a robot to turn on lights placed throughout an environment. The crux is that the series of commands needed to execute the task must be provided before the robot ever does anything. As with all games it starts off simply and increases in complexity. In this case the complexity comes from restricting the number of commands the player can use, requiring the use of subprocedures, requiring the application of recursion, and the like.
Another game we have been playing is from MindSnacks. Specifically we've been studying French to help our son prepare for entry into the Montreal educational system where at least a third of the class is taught strictly in French. In total it has nine subgames but only permits the child access to two at the beginning. The child must gain levels to unlock the others. It also focuses the child on certain aspects of the topic of study. In the case of French, and probably the other languages it supports, the topics include numbers, colors, days of the week, and greetings for a total of 50 different topics.
Of course games don't have to be deemed educational to in fact be educational. One of my son's favorite games is Minecraft. He prefers creative mode and will play for hours constructing little houses and zoos for all the animals he hatches. I don't particularly care for the game myself but it has a lot of great educational aspects to it. For instance it is great for talking about Geometry, from the different types of shapes we study to the difference between 1D, 2D, and 3D. Because it is in part focused on crafting it also offers a segue into talking about how real things are made.
Another "non-educational" game that I like is StarMade. This one is inspired by Minecraft but takes place in space. The objective is to make a spacecraft and fly it around collecting materials and fighting space pirates. I particularly like this one because it is more challenging than Minecraft but my son finds it interesting enough to work through the challenges. For instance, he would prefer to play and have to practice his reading to accomplish his goal than not. This is significant because he has not yet found that reading for the sake of reading is fun. It also offers additional lessons to those found in Minecraft. For instance, building a spacecraft requires an understanding of the different parts including the different computers required (e.g. control computer, weapons computers) to engines and shielding.
Games are not the only method for making learning fun. I also like to use experimentation to bring lessons to life but I'll talk more about this in my next entry. I have also been looking for a way to introduce my son to real world electronics and robotics. As part of this we have created a Jr. FLL but this is limited to simple machines and designing solutions. There are a lot of products being made to go beyond this which I will also discuss later.
As anyone with children will likely tell you it can be difficult at times to maintain their interest. Even if you are incredibly passionate about a topic it can be challenging to imbue them with that passion. One thing I have noticed while working with my son is that he gets excited when the solutions come easily. Conversely, failure to immediately understand quickly leads to disinterest. This would seem to imply a need for instant gratification. For that reason I often seek ways of removing that need or replacing that need in some way.
One obvious but still great method to address this problem while still providing a lesson is through games. Any gamer will tell you as much. Not just because they are attempting to justify their pastime but because any games provide myriad lessons in the guise of entertainment. Two of my favorite games are DragonBox and LightBot.
DragonBox teaches the principles of algebra without focusing on the mathematical foundations. It simply challenges the child with a puzzle that involves isolating an object from a set of others using the rules of algebra. Early in the game it doesn't even use numbers, just pictures, so that the child may focus on the rules. Unfortunately there isn't enough content. My son has beat this game numerous times and basically lost interest.
LightBot teaches the basics of programming. The objective is to get a robot to turn on lights placed throughout an environment. The crux is that the series of commands needed to execute the task must be provided before the robot ever does anything. As with all games it starts off simply and increases in complexity. In this case the complexity comes from restricting the number of commands the player can use, requiring the use of subprocedures, requiring the application of recursion, and the like.
Another game we have been playing is from MindSnacks. Specifically we've been studying French to help our son prepare for entry into the Montreal educational system where at least a third of the class is taught strictly in French. In total it has nine subgames but only permits the child access to two at the beginning. The child must gain levels to unlock the others. It also focuses the child on certain aspects of the topic of study. In the case of French, and probably the other languages it supports, the topics include numbers, colors, days of the week, and greetings for a total of 50 different topics.
Of course games don't have to be deemed educational to in fact be educational. One of my son's favorite games is Minecraft. He prefers creative mode and will play for hours constructing little houses and zoos for all the animals he hatches. I don't particularly care for the game myself but it has a lot of great educational aspects to it. For instance it is great for talking about Geometry, from the different types of shapes we study to the difference between 1D, 2D, and 3D. Because it is in part focused on crafting it also offers a segue into talking about how real things are made.
Another "non-educational" game that I like is StarMade. This one is inspired by Minecraft but takes place in space. The objective is to make a spacecraft and fly it around collecting materials and fighting space pirates. I particularly like this one because it is more challenging than Minecraft but my son finds it interesting enough to work through the challenges. For instance, he would prefer to play and have to practice his reading to accomplish his goal than not. This is significant because he has not yet found that reading for the sake of reading is fun. It also offers additional lessons to those found in Minecraft. For instance, building a spacecraft requires an understanding of the different parts including the different computers required (e.g. control computer, weapons computers) to engines and shielding.
Games are not the only method for making learning fun. I also like to use experimentation to bring lessons to life but I'll talk more about this in my next entry. I have also been looking for a way to introduce my son to real world electronics and robotics. As part of this we have created a Jr. FLL but this is limited to simple machines and designing solutions. There are a lot of products being made to go beyond this which I will also discuss later.
20130825
Musings on Robotic Proprioception
Proprioception is the sense of the relative positions and orientations of ones own body and its composing parts. How does our nervous system calculate these estimations? We don't even know how the data is represented in the nervous system.
It seems to me that if multiple sensors of the same type are used then each of their individual estimates could be filtered together to improve the estimation. For instance, imagine measuring the resistance across a stretchable conductive fabric. The resistance in such a product increases as it's stretched allowing an estimation of its length. If several pieces are attached between two links then the combination of the values could be used to estimate the relative orientations of the links under certain conditions. Furthermore, filtering the data from multiple sensors should result in cross sensor noise cancellation. Of course a model of how the values change given any given state of the joint would be necessary. However the model need not be known a priori as a regressor could be used to learn the model.
Recently someone, I don't recall who, stated that they had read that a baby's tendency to put its appendages in its mouth was a form of calibration. (If you know of any literature on this, please let me know.) The idea at least makes intuitive sense because such actions would provide additional information about the relation of two body parts. For instance, when standing, one cannot touch their toes with their hands if they do not bend at the waist. However our finger tips can reach to just a bit above our knee which tells us that our shoulder and thigh are closer together than our shoulder and our feet. Of course we can literally see this fact too.
What might be some strategies to learning a model of ones self from nothing? In other words, what actions can be performed to gather information about ourselves and what do the actions tell us?
[1] Blakeslee, Sandra (2007). The Body has a Mind of its Own. Random House LLC.
It seems to me that if multiple sensors of the same type are used then each of their individual estimates could be filtered together to improve the estimation. For instance, imagine measuring the resistance across a stretchable conductive fabric. The resistance in such a product increases as it's stretched allowing an estimation of its length. If several pieces are attached between two links then the combination of the values could be used to estimate the relative orientations of the links under certain conditions. Furthermore, filtering the data from multiple sensors should result in cross sensor noise cancellation. Of course a model of how the values change given any given state of the joint would be necessary. However the model need not be known a priori as a regressor could be used to learn the model.
Recently someone, I don't recall who, stated that they had read that a baby's tendency to put its appendages in its mouth was a form of calibration. (If you know of any literature on this, please let me know.) The idea at least makes intuitive sense because such actions would provide additional information about the relation of two body parts. For instance, when standing, one cannot touch their toes with their hands if they do not bend at the waist. However our finger tips can reach to just a bit above our knee which tells us that our shoulder and thigh are closer together than our shoulder and our feet. Of course we can literally see this fact too.
What might be some strategies to learning a model of ones self from nothing? In other words, what actions can be performed to gather information about ourselves and what do the actions tell us?
- Moving randomly would give a sense of what commands move what parts. This would be the start of a dynamic model. It would provide information about how quickly a given part can be moved. It would also give some kinematic information because the movement of one body part would be felt in neighbouring body parts. It would even give information as to the extent of influence moving one part has on another, at least in relative terms. For instance moving the shoulder quickly in a circle would induce torques on the elbow as a result of the lower arm swinging around, controlled or otherwise. It would also induce torques in the upper torso but because the mass of the upper torso is higher than that of the lower arm one would expect the lower arm to be impacted more in a sense.
- As previously discussed, touching two separate body parts provides additional information. Such information contributes to a kinematic model. One question that arises is, how does one know when contact is made? Is there only a temporal correlation or can two nerves, not normally connected, form some sort of temporary connection? Certainly not a chemical connection but are there nerves that sense a change in conductivy?
Such contact may or may not be intentional. Intentionally creating a contact would in effect be a test of the hypothesis of the various parameters involved. This could be done at random or strategically in which case learning may be sped up.
Either way, such values could only be relative values without some form of a priori knowledge. For instance, touching ones hip , and knowing approximately how the elbow is bent, only gives one a sense of how far from the shoulder their hip is located. However if two pieces of information are know, such as the distance from the shoulder to the hip and the length of one of the arm links, then the other components can be solved for in closed form. Humans don't so much have this ability because we don't know the lengths of the various components of our body. - Contacting the environment can provide information in a number of ways. For instance we know that contact with a stationary object eliminates drift in our sense of balance [1] . We also know that proprioception and vision work together, we call this hand-eye coordination. Tapping on an object provides another example. Tapping results in the nerves in our ears being activated at the same time our finger contacts the environment. This goes back to Dr. V.s Ramachandran TED talk where he discusses how the mind draws correlations between sounds and visual constructs called a cross-model synesthetic abstraction.
[1] Blakeslee, Sandra (2007). The Body has a Mind of its Own. Random House LLC.
20130213
Strategies to picking research projects
Just the other night I submitted the final copy of Kinodynamic RRT*: Optimal Path Planning for Systems with Linear Differential Constraints to ICRA 2013. Doing so inspired several ideas for extending the work. Of course they run the gamut -- some interesting, most not. But then how do you tell what is a potential interesting research idea versus what isn't?
I spoke to my advisor about a couple of these ideas. Curiously he was more interested in the one that I thought was the least interesting of the two. This has made me really focus on the question of what makes a good research idea. I realize that he has more experience than I so it's not a surprise that we disagreed. But to become a good researcher one needs some ability to determine what makes an idea interesting, right?
I also realize that this is not an original question and I'm certain that a quick search would yield a great number of results on the topic. But I'm more interested in first hearing your thoughts on the topic. So, if you would, please tell me how you decide whether an idea is worth pursuing?
I spoke to my advisor about a couple of these ideas. Curiously he was more interested in the one that I thought was the least interesting of the two. This has made me really focus on the question of what makes a good research idea. I realize that he has more experience than I so it's not a surprise that we disagreed. But to become a good researcher one needs some ability to determine what makes an idea interesting, right?
I also realize that this is not an original question and I'm certain that a quick search would yield a great number of results on the topic. But I'm more interested in first hearing your thoughts on the topic. So, if you would, please tell me how you decide whether an idea is worth pursuing?
20121225
The Webb's are Okay
On December 24th at about 10PM my family and I were T-boned on our way home from my mother's but we are all okay.
I was in the front passenger seat and Darliegh was driving. We were in the lane adjacent the HOV lane. I had just finished reading, closed the book, shut off my reading light, and looked over to see a white Blazer take a hard left in the far right lane. I yelled at Darliegh to watch out but I don't think she even had time to register what I was saying before the passenger side headlight of the other vehicle met the point where our front passenger fender and front passenger door come together.
My son was asleep at the time of impact and suffice it to say the event woke him and completely freaked him out. He began yelling fairly immediately which made us worry that he was hurt. I had to force my door open and then his to get him out.
My daughter was also asleep at the time of the impact. Surprisingly it did not phase her. She did not even wake up.
Our vehicle settled in the HOV lane. After making sure that Darliegh and the kids were okay I ran across the freeway to check on the passengers of the other vehicle. When I got there I met three people. Two were witnesses that saw the accident and stopped to offer assistance. These are truly good people and I deeply appreciate their kindness.
The other person I met claimed to be the passenger of the Blazer and that the driver ran off. However there were no other foot prints in the snow leaving the vehicle and one of the witnesses believes he saw the man exit from the drivers side of the vehicle. Myself and at least one of the witnesses smelled alcohol on the man but he appeared completely sober so I don't believe this was the initial cause of the accident. It appeared to me that he hit a patch of ice and lost control. Of course it could have played a role in his ability retain or regain contorl. Assuming he was actually the driver.
It took a long time for the first sheriff to arrive. While waiting a passing EMT stopped and offered assistance. I told her I would be grateful if she would check out my children so she ran across the freeway and did so. She also checked out Darliegh and saw nothing concerning.
Also while waiting I called 911 again to ask if there was a way to get my family off the freeway while we waited. Instead of answering the question the operator decided to berate me stating "I told you and your wife to get back in your car." A suggestion I believed to be completely ill-advised and that I was not willing to do given the state of the car.
Unfortunately as the first officer arrived on the seen the unidentified man from the other car walked away. For reasons I don't understand the officer felt it was more important to chase the man down rather than help get my family off the freeway. At this point we do not know whether they found him or the supposed driver.
Awhile later a second sheriff showed up. I expressed my concern for my families' safety to her and asked what could be done to get my family off the freeway. She said she needed to go over there and then ended up sitting there in her vehicle while we awaited yet another officer.
When the third officer arrived one of the witnesses and I approached his vehicle and spoke with him. The witness pointed out that the first officer was chasing down the driver of the Blazer. I told him I was from the car still sitting in the middle of the freeway and that I had ran across the freeway. I also told him I was worried for the safety of my family. He asked the witnesses for statements and proceeded to check out the other vehicle.
A bit later a fire truck and ambulance showed up. When I saw them I realized I should fill out a statement and asked the third officer for a form to fill out in case I needed to leave in the ambulance. He responded "Oh, I thought you already filled one out. Which vehicle were you with?" I pointed to our car at which point he asked "how did you get over here?" Suffice it to say this annoyed me, but I repeated myself anyway. Instead of giving me a statement form he decided to lecture me on the dangers of running across the freeway. I found this even more frustrating since it was wasting time. At this point I noted that we were off topic and repeated my request for a form.
Fortunately the EMTs did not feel it was necessary to go to the hospital though they did not check out Darliegh or myself, again for reasons I do not understand.
Finally after an hour the officers notified me that we should call someone to pick us up because they did not have enough space in there vehicles. A statement I found completely confusing given that they had six empty seats between there two cars. Fortunately for us our friend Alisha was willing to come pick us up at 11:30 on Christmas eve. One of the witnesses was also kind enough to offer us a ride much earlier but I told her that I thought we would be going to the hospital and thanked her for her kindness and told her that I did not want to make her wait around. She had already gone out of her way and her family was at home waiting for her.
I am thoroughly disappointed in the way this situation was handled by the emergency personnel but more importantly I am ecstatic that my family is okay.
I was in the front passenger seat and Darliegh was driving. We were in the lane adjacent the HOV lane. I had just finished reading, closed the book, shut off my reading light, and looked over to see a white Blazer take a hard left in the far right lane. I yelled at Darliegh to watch out but I don't think she even had time to register what I was saying before the passenger side headlight of the other vehicle met the point where our front passenger fender and front passenger door come together.
My son was asleep at the time of impact and suffice it to say the event woke him and completely freaked him out. He began yelling fairly immediately which made us worry that he was hurt. I had to force my door open and then his to get him out.
My daughter was also asleep at the time of the impact. Surprisingly it did not phase her. She did not even wake up.
Our vehicle settled in the HOV lane. After making sure that Darliegh and the kids were okay I ran across the freeway to check on the passengers of the other vehicle. When I got there I met three people. Two were witnesses that saw the accident and stopped to offer assistance. These are truly good people and I deeply appreciate their kindness.
The other person I met claimed to be the passenger of the Blazer and that the driver ran off. However there were no other foot prints in the snow leaving the vehicle and one of the witnesses believes he saw the man exit from the drivers side of the vehicle. Myself and at least one of the witnesses smelled alcohol on the man but he appeared completely sober so I don't believe this was the initial cause of the accident. It appeared to me that he hit a patch of ice and lost control. Of course it could have played a role in his ability retain or regain contorl. Assuming he was actually the driver.
It took a long time for the first sheriff to arrive. While waiting a passing EMT stopped and offered assistance. I told her I would be grateful if she would check out my children so she ran across the freeway and did so. She also checked out Darliegh and saw nothing concerning.
Also while waiting I called 911 again to ask if there was a way to get my family off the freeway while we waited. Instead of answering the question the operator decided to berate me stating "I told you and your wife to get back in your car." A suggestion I believed to be completely ill-advised and that I was not willing to do given the state of the car.
Unfortunately as the first officer arrived on the seen the unidentified man from the other car walked away. For reasons I don't understand the officer felt it was more important to chase the man down rather than help get my family off the freeway. At this point we do not know whether they found him or the supposed driver.
Awhile later a second sheriff showed up. I expressed my concern for my families' safety to her and asked what could be done to get my family off the freeway. She said she needed to go over there and then ended up sitting there in her vehicle while we awaited yet another officer.
When the third officer arrived one of the witnesses and I approached his vehicle and spoke with him. The witness pointed out that the first officer was chasing down the driver of the Blazer. I told him I was from the car still sitting in the middle of the freeway and that I had ran across the freeway. I also told him I was worried for the safety of my family. He asked the witnesses for statements and proceeded to check out the other vehicle.
A bit later a fire truck and ambulance showed up. When I saw them I realized I should fill out a statement and asked the third officer for a form to fill out in case I needed to leave in the ambulance. He responded "Oh, I thought you already filled one out. Which vehicle were you with?" I pointed to our car at which point he asked "how did you get over here?" Suffice it to say this annoyed me, but I repeated myself anyway. Instead of giving me a statement form he decided to lecture me on the dangers of running across the freeway. I found this even more frustrating since it was wasting time. At this point I noted that we were off topic and repeated my request for a form.
Fortunately the EMTs did not feel it was necessary to go to the hospital though they did not check out Darliegh or myself, again for reasons I do not understand.
Finally after an hour the officers notified me that we should call someone to pick us up because they did not have enough space in there vehicles. A statement I found completely confusing given that they had six empty seats between there two cars. Fortunately for us our friend Alisha was willing to come pick us up at 11:30 on Christmas eve. One of the witnesses was also kind enough to offer us a ride much earlier but I told her that I thought we would be going to the hospital and thanked her for her kindness and told her that I did not want to make her wait around. She had already gone out of her way and her family was at home waiting for her.
I am thoroughly disappointed in the way this situation was handled by the emergency personnel but more importantly I am ecstatic that my family is okay.
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