Until March 18th, I had never heard of the Mark 1, nor had I ever been to Harvard.  Both happened on this day, and the significance of the event has left a lasting impression.  For those as unaware of Mark 1 as I was, it was built by IBM as a general purpose 'electomechancial computer' and used during World War II. The concept designed in 1937, was the first effort to turn a 'computer' (a person who computes a mathematical equation - see image below) into 'computers' (a machine that computes mathematical equations).  I consider myself knowledgeable about technology and the thought that at one point in time a computer was a person literally blew my mind.

Now, you can see my reality - I am at Harvard (founded 1636 - where a computer in those days was known as the slide rule invented in 1630), standing next to the original Mark 1 in the Harvard Science Building, surrounded by Payment and Technology Start-up company executives and displays, plus a little wine. Every person and company I spoke to and learned about had the Mark 1 to thank for the start of their development in one way or another.  To see how very far technology had come in one room - amazing.  Will Graylin (we won't comment on his MIT graduate status - same city but founded 200 years after Harvard)  was 'in the house', the co-founder of MST.  (Lots of M's going on here - Mark 1, MIT, MST)  MST?  That is the technology that allows Samsung pay to work - Magnetic Secure Transmission.  In layman's terms, the computer in the phone replicates the message created when you swipe your magnetic stripe card in an POS slot and sends that 'message' it to the POS.  Boom - payment without a card or NFC - wow!

I guess I could go on and on about the event, which was amazing.  But the impression I left with is that everything we do today, is tied is so many ways with what we did yesterday.  Your work today is to build upon the work done yesterday and find a way to innovate and stay reverent.  What innovation will you make today and what item in the past (yesterday or from 1930) will you thank?
​

Passion Fruit - Wikipedia says that the "In Australia the purple passion fruit was flourishing and partially naturalized in coastal areas of Queensland before 1900. In Hawaii, seeds of the purple passion fruit, brought from Australia, were first planted in 1880."

What does Passion Fruit have to do with me?  Well, we actually quite the same.  I am the family historian, self-appointed, and have traced my family heritage back to before 1480, over 400 years before this fruit came to America, through Hawaii.  (Although, my history checkers out there will remind me that Hawaii didn't become a state until 1959, almost 100 years later - but this is my blog, not yours).  So, with this broad background of history, where was my family in 1880 and what were they passionate about?  Do those passions hold true for me in 2016, over 100 years later?  Or has the pace of technology advances since that time changed what we feel passionate about?  Is passion routed in our time and place or is it deeper than that?

Oddly enough, my name sake Theodocia Boughton Powell Farnham, born in Fairfield, CT in 1806, died the year the passion fruit made it to Hawaii.  I can safely say that Theodocia never tasted the fruit in her lifetime, nor even knew it existed.  After 10 children and 2 husbands, she passed in August of 1880 in New York.  As my 3rd Great Grandmother, most people in today's society wouldn't have much detail on her life or passions, however, my family documented their history in small ways that leave me with a view of this women, my namesake, that provides an insight into her passion.  

Hanging in my bedroom, is a small doll-sized quilt that was made by Theodocia in August for her daughter, Maude's doll.  I remember that quilt in my Grandmother's house when I was Maude's age, then in my mother's house when I was Theodocia's age.  Now, after my 40th birthday, by tradition, it was handed to me.  It shows me that Theodocia was passionate about doing things extraordinary for her family - in the 1800's with little automation, everything was done by hand and I am sure that a quick quilt for a daughter's doll wouldn't normally be high on the list of daily duties.  But she was passionate about giving Maude something that others didn't have - a handmade quilt for her doll made by her mother.  When I think of my 4 year old son, "TJ" named after Theodocia as Theo Jasper, I feel that same passion.

In today's world, I would get a sewing machine to make a quilt and it would be an easy exercise - I would go to the store and buy material that was made on machines.  I would use all the technology available and this would be an easy task.  I don't think it would take much passion to accomplish, not like what Theodocia did with scraps of fabric from other products and hand sewed at night by the fire.  But wait, my story doesn't end there, because my sub-conscious must have worked on this story for many years, unknowingly to me, because when TJ was born, I started saving 'onesies' and t-shirts that were special to me.  I saved them for 3 years and finally had enough.  I reached out to a very old and dear friend, Carole and asked her a special task.  Will you make me a quilt for TJ, made with all of these memories of his first 3 years  - will you make this special item for me?  That is passion - the feeling do something special, given everything going on, to make something extraordinary for someone you love.  I personally cannot sew, but that didn't stop my passion to make something memorable.  It is not yet finished, but I can post pictures, when it is.

So I am left to wonder, in 100 years, what will my son TJ have to remember his family by?  Will he have Maude's doll quilt and my TJ quilt?  Will he understand the passion that made both of them and the love that they show to him from generations of family?  What will he be passionate about and show to his family?

​Passion is food for thought.