broken jewel—automattic
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given as Flash Talk at Automattic Meetup in Seaside on September 2010 Presentation is supposed to be Pecha Kucha style. But due to preparation constraints, it's given as a short form. Automattic is the company I work for. The company is distributed worldwide and once a year we gather at a remote location and meet face-to-face. This year, all the employees are taking a little time during the meetup to compose and give at least one presentation for each other, talking about any subject we are passionate about. I started writing this talk a couple years back, and I have never found a venue to actually deliver it. Matt, claims that, “You will not find a friendlier group of people to present to in the world” and that “Everybody has a story.” This is mine. Hope you enjoy it.TRANSCRIPT
Broken JewelPecha Kucha (ペチャクチャ)
Sepember 12, 2010Automattic Meetup, Seaside, Florida
It begins with a phone call…
Video/Audio:
Broken Jewel terry chay, ペチャクチャ
My brother and I are very close
Photos of me and my brother.
The Eulogy
My brother’s story…
“Teresa Chay is a biophysicist who suffers from arrhythmia. She developed the condition as a child after rheumatic
fever damaged two heart valves. Surgery seven years ago replaced the valves, but
she still takes daily medication and occasionally needs to rush to the
hospital for electrical pulse treatment.”
“The Heart of the Matter.”
Every time he thinks, “This is too tough,” he looks up and sees that article about my mom.
Mom laughing
Mom and Ken at the USAir terminal
Video/Audio:
Video/Audio:
Broken Jewel terry chay, ペチャクチャ
inspire to work harder
My brother says he inherited laziness from our father and guilt from our mother. Those two sides are at war.
Video/Audio:
Broken Jewel terry chay, ペチャクチャ
Mom and Ken
My brother became a professor of economics because of my mother.
The Civil Rights act and the Medicare ActBlacks White
100
200
300
400
1955 1957 1958 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1974
Number of Post-Neonatal Infant Deaths due to Diarrhea and Pneumonia by Race
My earliest memories of mom were her working in front of the computer, dialing a phone, and connecting it to a 150 baud acoustic coupled modem connected to a teletype, as I parked my matchbox cars on the upright piano.
Mom as a professor
Mom as a Post-Doc
Broken Jewel terry chay, birthday ペチャクチャ
My mom the professor
My mom did her high school in three years, her undergraduate in three, and her Ph.D. in two years. (They put a residency requirement at Utah after she left.)
My mom’s favorite story she used to tell her students.Me with Mom
Me at Singer Learning Center
Broken Jewel terry chay, birthday ペチャクチャ
My story…
I used to tell everyone, “My Mommy works there.” every time I saw a building at the University of Pittsburgh. (Or any building that reminded me of one.)
My worst enemy
Dreams of Death
Video/Audio:
Broken Jewel terry chay, birthday ペチャクチャ
Who is on the other side of the camera?
So far the story has only mentioned three members of the family…
My Dad’s StorySometimes he remembers to set
up the tripod and the timer.
My dad spent the days at my mom’s bed in the ICU recounting the day.Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad
Broken Jewel terry chay, birthday ペチャクチャ
So about that surgery…
During the second open-heart surgery, her heart didn’t restart. My mom was under the knife for 18 hours. They thought she might be a vegetable.
You forgot something…
My Jewel
The Broken Jewel
Related: http://wp.me/pGjq4-8z