Two hundred forty-seven years ago today, delegates to the Continental Congress signed a document explaining why they felt it necessary for the British Crown’s thirteen colonies in North America to break away from the Crown and become independent. That document, the Declaration of Independence, was the logical end point for an enormous amount of Enlightenment theory. It, and the Constitution that followed it eleven years later to create the system of government we live under today remain inspirational as they assert that a nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people” is not only wonderful theory, it is a possible reality.

Daily Success July 4 is a “Mandatory Rest Day.” Yesterday had almost no walking distance because my left knee began complaining during my outdoor hike on the 2nd and with my flight to Madrid scheduled for the day after tomorrow, the watchword must be “do no harm.” If I have not exercised enough over the last year, two days of intense effort is not going to fix the problem.

The knee actually feels fine this morning. That is very reassuring. I may, emphasis “may,” do some hiking or leg strength exercises today. Or not. We shall see.
We received direction on what is now BombSnifferBot, and that’s subject to change, from DARPA yesterday. A three-age white paper is all that is asked for. My task for today is to develop a good draft of that much smaller document.

And get my gear organized for packing!

It’s all becoming REAL once again. Time to roll.