Best Prize Ever

The very first prize I ever won on element14 was a trip to the picturesque citadel city of Nuremberg to attend the Embedded World Exhibition. If you hang out on element14, you will love that show. The all expenses trip was listed as a $5K value - it included limos and extravagant meals. There were 2 strings attached though - I had to give a presentation of my project and do a TV interview - which is still available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRtNCvHV4&ab_channel=FarnellGlobal

That win also parlayed into an all expenses trip to visit Cypress Semiconductor in Beaverton - also an extravagant wine and dine affair. I snuck in a visit to Tektronix while I was there. And I also met Wonder Woman:

There is a lot happening in Portland. In one day I took in a Red Bull challenge, a big parade, and 2 car shows.

I think the most expensive hardware I ever won was a Taz 6 3D printer ($2.5K) This is also the the prize I use the most.

The current top of my wish list is a nice big 4K monitor - since all these tiny computer modules now have 4K HDMI, but the corresponding display costs way more than the computer.

Sounds like an incredible prize. For me it would have been totally stressful, fighting all day with my imposter syndrome. You are a great guy and a better person thanks for sharing your experiences.

I had to look up imposter syndrome - I think we all have that to some degree. Your quality posts clearly indicate you have nothing to worry about - although I know that doesn't make it go away.

I had very mixed feelings about the trip. I find all aspects of travel to be stressful. I knew some parts of it would be enjoyable, but that weighed against the inevitable stress. Overall the trip turned out to be worth going, the exhibition was very interesting and some great memories were created.

I mentioned it mainly because of the cost, not because it is my favorite type of prize.

However if you happened to like travel, hobnobbing and public speaking, the trip would be spectacular.

I can relate.  As awesome as that trip sounds I would only be able to enjoy it once the presentation and all the professional obligations are over.  At one time I would have said that public speaking is my worst fear but I eventually found out it's actually the Q&A after the presentation that scares me the most.  I am always worried that I won't be able to come up with an intelligent answer to a difficult question.

For me the speech is tougher. I find answering questions much easier. Fortunately the interview was in a question format.

If there is any silver lining it's the amazing sense of relief once both parts are over.

All the media stuff was done on the first day, so the rest of the time was more relaxing.

All the media stuff was done on the first day, so the rest of the time was more relaxing.

Worked out perfectly.