I remember doing the household chores to help my mother when I was nine. I hated changing the vacuum cleaner (真空吸尘器)bag and picking up things the machine did not suck up. Twenty years later, in 1978, with this lifelong dislike of the way the machine worked, I decided to make a bagless one.

Easier said than done, of course. I didn't realize that I would spend the next five years perfecting my design, a process that resulted in 5,127 different prototypes (样机).By the time I made my 15th prototype, my third child was born. By 2,627, my wife and I were really counting our pennies. By 3,727, my wife was giving art lessons for some extra cash, and we were getting further and further into debt. These were tough times, but each failure brought me closer to solving the problem.

In the early 1980s, I started trying to get licensing agreements for my technology. The reality was very different, however. The major vacuum makers had built a business model based on the profits from bags and filters (滤网). No one would license my idea, not because it was a bad one, but because it was bad for business. But soon after, the companies that I had talked with started making machines like mine. I had to fight legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic to protect the patents on my vacuum cleaner.

I was still in financial difficulties until 1993, when my bank manager personally persuaded Lloyds Bank to lend me $1 million. Then I was able to go into production. Within two years, the Dyson vacuum cleaner became a best-seller in Britain.

Today, I still embrace risk and the potential for failure as part of the process. Nothing beats the excitement of invention.

I prided myself on being unattached to any device (装置). Then, I got a smart phone. It's not a very fancy smart phone, but I was lost. It was used during commercial breaks, the line at the bank, the three minutes it takes for popcorn to be ready. I even checked my phone while on the phone with someone else.

I broke the most sacred (不得违背的) technology rule I have with my kids — no devices in the bedroom. I didn't just take my smart phone in the bedroom. I charged it there. Soon that device was the first thing I caught after waking.

I used to keep a book with me in my spare time; now I kept the smart phone. I opened some apps without conscious thought; remembering to look up on a sports field became a challenge.

Recently, I was waiting for my youngest child's soccer game to start, trying to answer emails, text my husband, and update a website. The phone lost its signal before my updating the website.

I drove home and rushed to the laptop. Coat still on, I started troubleshooting (检修故障). My oldest sat across from me.

I asked the standard Mom-questions half-heartedly, half-listening as she responded. She was talking about some music opportunity, something she was excited about...

I glanced up from my screen and saw her looking right at me. My fingers froze and I had an awful feeling. I realized it was the first time I had looked at her.

I started apologizing, but she just laughed.

“My friends are much better at multitasking online.”

The next morning, I did something that was more painful than I'd like to admit. I deleted (删除) my apps. When I finished, my smart phone was just a phone again — something I could forget in the car.

London Family friendly hotels

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Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel London

HOTEL RATING ★★★★ Hotel

ADDRESS   Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7UT

LOCATION   Close to the London Eye

Double rooms from £106

The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is a modern hotel a short walk from some of the city’s most famous attractions, such as Big Ben and London Eye.

Athenaeum Hotel London

HOTEL RATING ★★★★★Luxury Business Hotel

ADDRESS     116 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7BJ

LOCATION     Opposite Buckingham Palace

Double rooms from £127

Athenaeum Hotel is situated opposite Buckingham Palace, and just down the road from national museums and galleries. The luxurious(奢侈的) accommodation includes park view rooms, spacious apartments and elegant suites.

The Rubens at the Palace Hotel London

HOTEL RATING ★★★★ Hotel

ADDRESS   39 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0PS

LOCATION   Near Buckingham Palace

Double rooms from £159

This is as close to Buckingham Palace as you can get. There are three dining / bar areas: the Palace Lounge（休息）for afternoon tea, the Cavalry Bar for cocktails, or the“unashamedly old-fashioned”Library Restaurant.

Plaza on the River Club London

HOTEL RATING ★★★★★Apartment

ADDRESS   18 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TJ

LOCATION   Close to Tate Britain

Double rooms from £185

Riverside rooms at this modern luxury hotel overlook the River Thames with the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye in sight on clear days. All apartments have lounge area and fully equipped kitchen.