Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1053050
22 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2018 Most PCB designers do not have the oppor- tunity in their everyday lives to use the final results of their efforts outside of the work- place. This makes a lot of sense when you think about some of the things that we design. For example, missile guidance systems are not intended to be played with casually, or if you do, you probably shouldn't tell anyone about it. I've been lucky enough to have designed a few things that I have been able to use in my everyday life, like computers and data or video projectors. However, those are the excep- tions because most of my designs have been for devices that are entirely out of the norm for everyday life. This kind of detached rela- tionship with work has made me a little lacka- daisical towards electronics until cancer came along and I suddenly realized how much we all rely on modern electronics. Here are some of the things that I've recently become very grateful for: • Computers: Yes, like you, I've used comput- ers for many years, and they are pretty com- monplace, but now I'm using my computer to research medical procedures and definitions. I'm also working online with clinics to sched- ule and track various things in spreadsheets and documents. • Entertainment: We bought Mom a tablet so she can keep in touch with her friends on social media and play games. This allows her to relax in her comfortable chair instead of always hav- ing to move to where the computer is set up. • Smart home devices and IoT: What started as a fun hobby has become more important as we now have devices set up as intercoms and voice-activated lighting to assist Mom when needed. • Home medical devices: Has anyone shaken a mercury thermometer or pumped a manual blood pressure cuff lately? Neither have I since we've gained the modern electronic versions of these tools. • Professional medical devices: Whether it is the mechanisms for preparing and injecting the chemotherapy medication, the diagnostic machines that tell the doctors what is happen- ing with Mom, or the radiation delivery system that administers her treatments, the electron- ics in the medical machinery working to heal her is impressive. As I write this, Mom is still undergoing radiation treatments. She is being cared for by Dr. Lanceford Chong and the amazing staff at Radiation Oncology Care at Meridian Park Hospital. It has been a pleasure to work with these people, and they were kind enough to give me permission to snap a picture of the machine that is at the heart of these radiation treatments for Mom (Figure 1). I must confess, Figure 1: Radiation treatment equipment has come a long way over the years.