For the second year I found myself in Arizona to speak on internet of things at Iot Devfest Arizona The weather in California had been harsh with pounding rains and flooding so a trip to Arizona sunshine sounded lovely. I battled the storm and caught my flight, only to find myself in buckets of water upon arriving in Phoenix.

“Wettest weather we’ve had in Arizona since I moved here” said the cab driver. “Bet you didn’t expect to see that?”

No. No I did not.

****

Sheldon, the primary organizer and someone I’m lucky to call a friend, specifically requested that I not be boring. This statement, said in jest and with levity, made me smile on a rather dismal day sometime in November. The very least I could do was return the favor at his event with something a little of the beaten path when it comes to internet of things talks.

The event was again held at the lovely Nesbitt-Elliott Playhouse on a stage that has me nearly abandoning my topic and instead reciting Chekov every time I walk upon it. I’ve spoken at a lot of venues but I’m hard pressed to say I’ve ever spoken at more welcoming stage.

The topic I chose was something I had been working on with my wife Monica for some time. A side project turned mission to help track endangered desert tortoises with hardware and software you could ideally piece together off the shelf. This was by no means theoretical; we had one such tortoise, nearly 25 years old and being rehabilitated by my wife. Having such a tortoise is not legal, but with enough paperwork and her utilizing skilled specialty as biologist who had worked with endangered riparian brush rabbits in the past, the proper checks and balances were satisfied.

My job was to figure out a way to track our friend, a expert escape artist and hider who constantly surprised us. The talk was recorded on Periscope exploring the topic, technology, and just how we can make a better impact in the world with the internet of things.

People seemed to like the talk. My friend Macy Kuang, a fellow Google Developer Expert and one of most amazing developers you’ll ever meet was kind enough to grab this photograph at the beginning of my talk. I look horrible but the stage just lights up.