Howdy sports fans!
Today has been a housecleaning/room-cleaning day, and I have had great success! One benefit to going through things is that you tend to find all sorts of historical treasures (treasures by my measure at least), and today I wanted to share some with ya'll. I wrote this poem sometime around 1990, so I think I would have been about 10.
Every Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter my family makes a massive amount of food. Do we need all this food? Probably not, but I guess it is tradition at this point. Somehow these mountains of food do finally get eaten, sometimes weeks down the road. LOL. One of my favorite memories was the competition (when we were younger) to try and steal fudge before dessert time, and this little poem is to that effect. I hope you enjoy it.
A TASTE OF THE PAST
Some I think of days gone by
I think of me as a little guy.
A man of questions, acquainted with thought.
Thinking of the Christmas war, about the be fought.
Our primary objective was the fudge to robe,
But the restraining dilemma was big uncle bob!
We'd round the corner, innocent as could be,
But he knew our intentions and forced us to flee.
Casey suggested a diversion and I was inclined.
Off went bob, but twas in his arm reclined.
As we watched him go we thought of our plan
And watched with remorse as he dipped into the pan.
It was my turn for an idea and my comrades held their breath
Because my plans of daring usually ended with their death.
To fail was not an option and to quit not a thought;
Fudge was at large, and it wasn't the kind bought.
My plan was perfect. It had no mistake.
My plan was for Garrett, the fudge, to take.
Garrett wanted to please me, on my every word did he dote,
And he made, by far, the best scapegoat.
We sent out "The Kid" with unprecendented anticipation
For we knew that to succeed meant unparalleled sensation.
Little "G" was sneaky; we had to admit
But compared to uncle Bob, it was bit to bit.
We were linked by walkie-talkies, a clever touch of min.
But really just another tool toward the chocolate taste divine.
Casey took the forward position and I took the rear,
Because if we got caught, Bob'd have them by the ear!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
I am a blessed man! =)
Howdy there peeps!
Hmm... well, here I am with less than a week left in my southbay adventure. It has been a long ride, but a good one. reflecting a bit on what has happened since I moved to the southbay, I can't help but thank God for his blessing and provision throughout the year.
I would like to believe that I am a brilliant individual. Truly I would. But the reality of the situation is that I feel more like a delivery boy. Okay, hopefully a delivery man, but you get the idea. What prompts such a random comment? I was thinking back on the problems that arose this year at work... definitely some tough ones! At each step of the way, I feel like the Lord inspired me with ideas to solve the problems as they arose. Kinda feels like that game ("wack-a-mole"?) where you bonk moles when they poke their head out of a board and you have to bonk them quick or you lose the game.
Enough problems came up this year at work that I truly believe that without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the refueling and renewing of my mind, that I might be in mental shambles. I will not bore you with a list of all of the things, but suffice it to say the list makes me a little tired! =)
Work aside, it has been a tremendous blessing to live with my cousin Scott. Beyond just getting to know that chap better, it has been fun goofing off with him. In some ways we are good for each other since we have some almost opposite tendencies, but then we have a lot in common as well, which makes it fun to talk (and sometimes complain) about work problems since the other can understand them a bit better.
Then there is the whole housing thing... again, what a blessing! I got to live in a perfectly central, beautiful apartment complex in Sunnyvale that was very relaxing to come home to (and even had a jacuzzi and pool). For these last few months I have been blessed to live with Scott in his new home in Santa Clara where I have been the proud occupant of the master bedroom (Scott will soon rent it out, which is why he didn't want to move in there).
I had the opportunity to get to know a girl from Santa Rosa (Elisa) which ended up not working out, but was still a learning/growing experience for me. I am often torn when I think back on relationship history-types of things, since all relationships that one invests in that do not work out do take their toll, but thinking back I can praise God that he is teaching me these things so that my future wife will hopefully be shielded from them. I guess you could say that I have a long way to go, but hopefully I can accelerate and make up that distance fast! =P Speedracer! lol
Since I spent time going back and forth to Santa Rosa / Petaluma, I have had the chance to hang out and have some great talks with one of my closest friends (John). It is amazing to me that I can know someone for such a long period of time and still misunderstand them. It would not be appropriate for me to fully explain what I mean by that statement here, but let me just say that I am blessed with close friends who find me worthy enough to share part of their inner-selves with, and this encourages me beyond measure.
On top of all these things (I sure am glad I didn't list the problems, I wouldn't have had room for this list of blessings!) I have felt much more at peace with my future and future directions, which I would definitely call a miracle in and of itself. For someone like me who is constantly over-analyzing everything and trying to optimize, feeling at peace with the unknown future and being content to see a few years in advance and settle on a path is no small feat! Yet, the Lord has seen fit to grant me this insight/direction. For that, I praise Him!
I look back and wonder how else I would have come to the same conclusions without spending this time here... I have often wondered why I am here since I am somewhat isolated and I hate watching my family grow up from a distance. Don't get me wrong, I knew that I needed to be here to finish my formal education, but one can't help but wonder if there isn't another way when you feel lonely... But, the Lord has a plan and I am more and more willing to let Him lead and watch the beautiful things that result from letting the omniscient One have the reigns. How ludicrous that I think I can do better sometimes! =)
Check back here on the blog soon for an update with some pictures. I promise to get some pics/videos of the people I've been working with and post 'em (with their permission, of course). Yet again, a great blessing that I need to praise God for... so many people do not enjoy the people they work with, yet I generally can't wait to get to work and interact with these people (and when I'm not excited to be at work, it is generally because I am tired).
Okay, well that'll do for now, pig. I hope wherever this post finds you, you are doing well and the ways that you are currently being blessed will be revealed to you also. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
-Gav
Hmm... well, here I am with less than a week left in my southbay adventure. It has been a long ride, but a good one. reflecting a bit on what has happened since I moved to the southbay, I can't help but thank God for his blessing and provision throughout the year.
I would like to believe that I am a brilliant individual. Truly I would. But the reality of the situation is that I feel more like a delivery boy. Okay, hopefully a delivery man, but you get the idea. What prompts such a random comment? I was thinking back on the problems that arose this year at work... definitely some tough ones! At each step of the way, I feel like the Lord inspired me with ideas to solve the problems as they arose. Kinda feels like that game ("wack-a-mole"?) where you bonk moles when they poke their head out of a board and you have to bonk them quick or you lose the game.
Enough problems came up this year at work that I truly believe that without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the refueling and renewing of my mind, that I might be in mental shambles. I will not bore you with a list of all of the things, but suffice it to say the list makes me a little tired! =)
Work aside, it has been a tremendous blessing to live with my cousin Scott. Beyond just getting to know that chap better, it has been fun goofing off with him. In some ways we are good for each other since we have some almost opposite tendencies, but then we have a lot in common as well, which makes it fun to talk (and sometimes complain) about work problems since the other can understand them a bit better.
Then there is the whole housing thing... again, what a blessing! I got to live in a perfectly central, beautiful apartment complex in Sunnyvale that was very relaxing to come home to (and even had a jacuzzi and pool). For these last few months I have been blessed to live with Scott in his new home in Santa Clara where I have been the proud occupant of the master bedroom (Scott will soon rent it out, which is why he didn't want to move in there).
I had the opportunity to get to know a girl from Santa Rosa (Elisa) which ended up not working out, but was still a learning/growing experience for me. I am often torn when I think back on relationship history-types of things, since all relationships that one invests in that do not work out do take their toll, but thinking back I can praise God that he is teaching me these things so that my future wife will hopefully be shielded from them. I guess you could say that I have a long way to go, but hopefully I can accelerate and make up that distance fast! =P Speedracer! lol
Since I spent time going back and forth to Santa Rosa / Petaluma, I have had the chance to hang out and have some great talks with one of my closest friends (John). It is amazing to me that I can know someone for such a long period of time and still misunderstand them. It would not be appropriate for me to fully explain what I mean by that statement here, but let me just say that I am blessed with close friends who find me worthy enough to share part of their inner-selves with, and this encourages me beyond measure.
On top of all these things (I sure am glad I didn't list the problems, I wouldn't have had room for this list of blessings!) I have felt much more at peace with my future and future directions, which I would definitely call a miracle in and of itself. For someone like me who is constantly over-analyzing everything and trying to optimize, feeling at peace with the unknown future and being content to see a few years in advance and settle on a path is no small feat! Yet, the Lord has seen fit to grant me this insight/direction. For that, I praise Him!
I look back and wonder how else I would have come to the same conclusions without spending this time here... I have often wondered why I am here since I am somewhat isolated and I hate watching my family grow up from a distance. Don't get me wrong, I knew that I needed to be here to finish my formal education, but one can't help but wonder if there isn't another way when you feel lonely... But, the Lord has a plan and I am more and more willing to let Him lead and watch the beautiful things that result from letting the omniscient One have the reigns. How ludicrous that I think I can do better sometimes! =)
Check back here on the blog soon for an update with some pictures. I promise to get some pics/videos of the people I've been working with and post 'em (with their permission, of course). Yet again, a great blessing that I need to praise God for... so many people do not enjoy the people they work with, yet I generally can't wait to get to work and interact with these people (and when I'm not excited to be at work, it is generally because I am tired).
Okay, well that'll do for now, pig. I hope wherever this post finds you, you are doing well and the ways that you are currently being blessed will be revealed to you also. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
-Gav
Thursday, November 11, 2010
On why I love modelling...
Howdy there sports fans! =)
I am pleased to report that I have had some great success with a long-time project of mine. I have simulated a very rough approximation of a tree under forced oscillation! This is something that I have been pondering how to do for about 10 years... Boy, to write that down makes it seem, well, like a long time. First, a little backstory...
A few years into college I began mathematically modeling the shaker head that ENE uses for harvesting prunes, pistachios, etc. After making a few assumptions and idealizations, tt was a relatively simple set of parametric equations, and served as a wonderful application and exercise of the concepts in calculus that I was learning at the time. Essentially, those equations parameterize the configuration of the shaker head and predict the output pattern. With a bit of doing (and a few major mistakes in derivation), I had a reasonable, closed-form approximation of how the shaker head would react to different weights, speeds and arm lengths.
Below is a plot of the predicted output pattern for the configuration
freq1=10 Hz, freq2=7.14 Hz, arm1=2.5 in, arm2=3.5 in, weight1=40 lbs, weight2=30 lbs.
For a while, I was very enthralled by this set of equations and what they might mean for tuning and understanding harveting better, but I soon realized that the real problem was not what the shaker head was doing, but rather how the tree was responding to what the shaker head was doing. In short, it is necessary to understand the behavior of the shaker head, but only from the standpoint of guiding it into a behavior that is useful for successfully shaking a tree (e.g. getting fruit off, not damaing the tree, etc, etc.).
Since the orginal equations were derived symbolically they are easy to calculate and easy to analyze, but I could not wrap my head around a good method to symbolically model a tree. As I progressed through my schooling and various work projects, I spent more and more time in numerical simulations (mostly Finite Element Analysis-type (FEA) and dynamical systems (for control system engineering). It has taken me a long time to realize that the answer to my problem could be approached in a numerical way, but even after I realized that, I wasn't sure the right software package to use to tackle the problem.
**************** so much for the back-story... on to the present *****************
Since while I'm here in Santa Clara, I decided that it was the right time to go to a workshop for a software package called COMSOL Multiphysics. They have an office in Palo Alto which is only a few minutes from work, so it all worked out beautifully. My cousin scott was nice enough to come along for moral support and may have just enjoyed himself a little along the way... =) As part of the workshop, we recieved a trial license for the software which is a great match for my brand-spankin' new computer... =)
So that was this Tuesday, and for the past two nights I have spent a few hours trying to figure out how to model a tree and simulate it in a flexible way. This evening I finally had success and thought it would be fitting to share the results of my labor with you. Below is a very simple tree's response to the input of the shaker head (given the same configuration as listed above). Hopefully this video uploads correctly... it took a long time, so I'm not sure if everything got to the server ok...
I am pleased to report that I have had some great success with a long-time project of mine. I have simulated a very rough approximation of a tree under forced oscillation! This is something that I have been pondering how to do for about 10 years... Boy, to write that down makes it seem, well, like a long time. First, a little backstory...
A few years into college I began mathematically modeling the shaker head that ENE uses for harvesting prunes, pistachios, etc. After making a few assumptions and idealizations, tt was a relatively simple set of parametric equations, and served as a wonderful application and exercise of the concepts in calculus that I was learning at the time. Essentially, those equations parameterize the configuration of the shaker head and predict the output pattern. With a bit of doing (and a few major mistakes in derivation), I had a reasonable, closed-form approximation of how the shaker head would react to different weights, speeds and arm lengths.
Below is a plot of the predicted output pattern for the configuration
freq1=10 Hz, freq2=7.14 Hz, arm1=2.5 in, arm2=3.5 in, weight1=40 lbs, weight2=30 lbs.
Since the orginal equations were derived symbolically they are easy to calculate and easy to analyze, but I could not wrap my head around a good method to symbolically model a tree. As I progressed through my schooling and various work projects, I spent more and more time in numerical simulations (mostly Finite Element Analysis-type (FEA) and dynamical systems (for control system engineering). It has taken me a long time to realize that the answer to my problem could be approached in a numerical way, but even after I realized that, I wasn't sure the right software package to use to tackle the problem.
**************** so much for the back-story... on to the present *****************
Since while I'm here in Santa Clara, I decided that it was the right time to go to a workshop for a software package called COMSOL Multiphysics. They have an office in Palo Alto which is only a few minutes from work, so it all worked out beautifully. My cousin scott was nice enough to come along for moral support and may have just enjoyed himself a little along the way... =) As part of the workshop, we recieved a trial license for the software which is a great match for my brand-spankin' new computer... =)
So that was this Tuesday, and for the past two nights I have spent a few hours trying to figure out how to model a tree and simulate it in a flexible way. This evening I finally had success and thought it would be fitting to share the results of my labor with you. Below is a very simple tree's response to the input of the shaker head (given the same configuration as listed above). Hopefully this video uploads correctly... it took a long time, so I'm not sure if everything got to the server ok...
That is pretty cool I think. The coolest part about this might be that the solve only took about 2 minutes! Granted, when I have a tree model that is sufficiently more complicated and takes into account more effects (Such as the damping due to leaves, etc.) that solve will take longer, but this was a simple example and it solved very quickly.
Another quick little video which breezes through the first 50 (or so) eigen-frequencies and eigen-mode shapes (the natural frequencies and vibration modes of the tree structure). I would slow this down a bit, but the slowest I could do was 1 frame per second, so just check out the frequencies listed in the upper portion of the screen to get a feel of the frequencies that are causing the shapes...
On top of that, I found the COMSOL environment to be very well thought out and even capable of some post processing tasks that didn't need to go over to MATLAB to handle... namely looking at the pattern input that caused this type of purturbation... I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "Hey Gav, hang on. Just a few paragraphs ago you said that you had closed-form equations that could predict the shaker heads position (and thus the pattern input to the tree)..." to which I respond, "Yes, that's true, but remember my qualification: "After making a few assumptions and idealizations..." The first assumption was that the shaker head was "free" and not being affected by anything else. That isn't quite true, because while the shaker head is big and powerful, it is still affected by the tree... remember, we can push on the tree, but the tree can push back! So, without futher ado, I give you thee updated pattern that my simulation yielded after taking into account the tree's "push" back on the shaker head...
There are a few things that need be said here... first of all, you have to look closely to find that it does have many of the same characteristics of the idealized patter, but the idealizations might have been a bit too much from a rough accuracy standpoint. Note that I didn't include any mass for the shaker head, so this isn't as accurate as it could be. Also notice that the new pattern output is not as wide as it is tall... this I believe to be due to the trees asymmetrical response (which in turn is due to it's asymmetrical topology).. What we found here was that it was much easier to move the tree in and out vs. moving it left and right, which might make sense when you stop and look at where the branches are on this tree... =)
Man I love modelling!
*********
On a more peronsal note, I am doing well and things are moving forward with my thesis. Slowly but surely. I will post again soon with more personal things, but I better get some sleep tonight!
Thanks for reading! =)
Thanks for reading! =)
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A title formerly known as "Yes, sort of..."
******
"Comrades! I am proud to sail with you on the maiden voyage of our motherland's most recent achievement. Once more, we play our dangerous game... a game of chess against the American navy... only now the game is different..."
******
Had I an orginal thought here I would have opened with it, but as things stand right now, I am very unoriginal. =P But I'm working on it.
I find myself single once again. I suppose that is a strange thing to mention in a blog, but I feel like saying it, so there ya go. I suppose that as far as break-ups go, this one was as ideal as they come since both people felt at peace with the decision. Still, that sort of thing is never very much fun.
Life is definitely different since my last post. I, my family and many other people were deeply saddened with the loss of a great friend, mentor, father, husband, etc. in Jose Luis E. I could go on and on because he was many things to many people, but suffice it to say that I am deeply in his debt and his absence will be felt most acutely.
Here in Southbay, I am proud to say that I have made some decisions. My new plan is to work for the Army up through mid-December and then take two weeks off. Starting the beginning of January, I will be an ENE employee for most of the week and then for part of the week I will work on Army stuff. This will be a good balance because I can begin to help with the family business, but still finish the project for my master's thesis (on-blade control-surface closed-loop control on an experimental rotor). The tentative plan is to graduate in June 2011.
As far as work on that goes, I am very happy to tell that I have made significant progress on several fronts there, and it becomes more exciting the further I go. Last week I completed my goal of adding specific functionality to the data system ("Dexter"), so that I can now see the frequency spectrum content updated in "GUI real-time" so that I know what is going on, and can see the frequency content (y'know, which frequencies are present in whatever I'm interested in...) Very cool stuff. =) I have also made significant headway on the automation required to make data acquisition and processing streamlined. The further I go in this development, the more I realize how much automation of mundane tasks really does speed you on your way to a result; often it is the only way to remain sane and get something done!
I was also happy that my funding has now been approved all the way through June, so I can definitely count on that as a plan. (up until now, it was a tentative plan, but now that approvals have gone through, it is just a matter for me to sign a contract).
hmmm.... what else can I tell you... Oh! I'm very excited that I will be getting a new laptop very soon. I had high hopes of getting an extremely high-end workstation (like $8k) but that purchase gave way to good council and soul searching. My new system will still be a powerful workstation, but a bit more mainstream and affordable for a bear of small means, such as myself. Yes, it is true, I have other needs that I could spend money on (perhaps most notably a truck...) but for my current purposes, a laptop is the most pressing need. I guess for the moment I'll just have to fend off the onslaught of women clamouring for my affection from behind the wheel of a minivan!! It's tough bein' a sexy soccer mom! lol.
In all seriousness though, I am very excited to save (and spend eventually) for items that might fall in the classification being of more "grown up." As you've no doubt noticed, I have a penchant for electronics, software and books that is nigh unquenchable, but this old dog is still learning about what is important... Who know, maybe I'll buy myself a house sometime... but I will not need to invest in a security system, 'cause I can "kick the guns out of their hands!" =)
I think that pretty well brings you up to date on my goings-on. This weekend has been pretty chill, so I have had some time to muse and reflect on things. Here are some of thoughts in a "formatted" version:
-----------------
"That I thought I thought"
That I thought I thought, I thought I knew
that I thought I knew, I built my house
now I shiver in the rain, for my house is cold
but my thoughts are known.
To maintain the house, is on-going;
never finished, never painted.
Its walls are fluid and doors are swung easily,
though they remain transparent, reflection is necessary.
That I harden its foundations, I have before me.
That I maintain its flowing walls, I have ever before me.
But where are the walls affixed the floor?
That that flows, meets the Rock.
This problem eats at my mind, a meal without end.
What when there is no food for feasting?
My hope is ever the Rock, for He is ever constant.
I can trust not the walls, nor the doors, for they move.
Lord, that my mind works, You know.
That I can help, You know.
That I am in need, You know.
That you are not finished with me, I know.
-Gavin Nielsen
gavin.nielsen@gmail.com
"Comrades! I am proud to sail with you on the maiden voyage of our motherland's most recent achievement. Once more, we play our dangerous game... a game of chess against the American navy... only now the game is different..."
******
Had I an orginal thought here I would have opened with it, but as things stand right now, I am very unoriginal. =P But I'm working on it.
I find myself single once again. I suppose that is a strange thing to mention in a blog, but I feel like saying it, so there ya go. I suppose that as far as break-ups go, this one was as ideal as they come since both people felt at peace with the decision. Still, that sort of thing is never very much fun.
Life is definitely different since my last post. I, my family and many other people were deeply saddened with the loss of a great friend, mentor, father, husband, etc. in Jose Luis E. I could go on and on because he was many things to many people, but suffice it to say that I am deeply in his debt and his absence will be felt most acutely.
Here in Southbay, I am proud to say that I have made some decisions. My new plan is to work for the Army up through mid-December and then take two weeks off. Starting the beginning of January, I will be an ENE employee for most of the week and then for part of the week I will work on Army stuff. This will be a good balance because I can begin to help with the family business, but still finish the project for my master's thesis (on-blade control-surface closed-loop control on an experimental rotor). The tentative plan is to graduate in June 2011.
As far as work on that goes, I am very happy to tell that I have made significant progress on several fronts there, and it becomes more exciting the further I go. Last week I completed my goal of adding specific functionality to the data system ("Dexter"), so that I can now see the frequency spectrum content updated in "GUI real-time" so that I know what is going on, and can see the frequency content (y'know, which frequencies are present in whatever I'm interested in...) Very cool stuff. =) I have also made significant headway on the automation required to make data acquisition and processing streamlined. The further I go in this development, the more I realize how much automation of mundane tasks really does speed you on your way to a result; often it is the only way to remain sane and get something done!
I was also happy that my funding has now been approved all the way through June, so I can definitely count on that as a plan. (up until now, it was a tentative plan, but now that approvals have gone through, it is just a matter for me to sign a contract).
hmmm.... what else can I tell you... Oh! I'm very excited that I will be getting a new laptop very soon. I had high hopes of getting an extremely high-end workstation (like $8k) but that purchase gave way to good council and soul searching. My new system will still be a powerful workstation, but a bit more mainstream and affordable for a bear of small means, such as myself. Yes, it is true, I have other needs that I could spend money on (perhaps most notably a truck...) but for my current purposes, a laptop is the most pressing need. I guess for the moment I'll just have to fend off the onslaught of women clamouring for my affection from behind the wheel of a minivan!! It's tough bein' a sexy soccer mom! lol.
In all seriousness though, I am very excited to save (and spend eventually) for items that might fall in the classification being of more "grown up." As you've no doubt noticed, I have a penchant for electronics, software and books that is nigh unquenchable, but this old dog is still learning about what is important... Who know, maybe I'll buy myself a house sometime... but I will not need to invest in a security system, 'cause I can "kick the guns out of their hands!" =)
I think that pretty well brings you up to date on my goings-on. This weekend has been pretty chill, so I have had some time to muse and reflect on things. Here are some of thoughts in a "formatted" version:
-----------------
"That I thought I thought"
That I thought I thought, I thought I knew
that I thought I knew, I built my house
now I shiver in the rain, for my house is cold
but my thoughts are known.
To maintain the house, is on-going;
never finished, never painted.
Its walls are fluid and doors are swung easily,
though they remain transparent, reflection is necessary.
That I harden its foundations, I have before me.
That I maintain its flowing walls, I have ever before me.
But where are the walls affixed the floor?
That that flows, meets the Rock.
This problem eats at my mind, a meal without end.
What when there is no food for feasting?
My hope is ever the Rock, for He is ever constant.
I can trust not the walls, nor the doors, for they move.
Lord, that my mind works, You know.
That I can help, You know.
That I am in need, You know.
That you are not finished with me, I know.
-Gavin Nielsen
gavin.nielsen@gmail.com
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Quefrency, Lifters, New House and Fine Dining
Howdy y'all!
So now I'm moved. Scott and I are settling into the new place and refactoring our organizational methods. Before I get into the house/food stuff, I wanted to tell you about something kinda cool that I learned today. Like anything worth learning, this tasty morsel requires just a tad bit of background...
Signal processing is the science/art of modifying or analyzing some sequence of values for useful purposes. An example might be checking the stock market value of some particular stock every day for a year, then taking those values and taking the moving average of every week of values as they come out to have a better "Feel" of that stock and then making some decision based on it. Here is a wikipedia article with a little more precise language if you'd like to explore (I would if I were you =) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_processing
Some more interesting (to me) applications of signal processing are things like filtering an audio signal so that you can turn up the bass and really "bump" in your car or house... lol. At any rate, like any technical domain, there are plenty of cool terms and a few that are just made-up because whoever invented it had a good sense of humor.
For example, in signal processing we talk about the frequency spectrum (a range of frequencies we are interested in), we talk about low-pass filters who "allow" low frequencies through and "stop" higher frequenices (this really kind of a generalization a moving average, when you think about it).
So now to the funny part. I have been working on a rather challenging filter for a while now (I posted about it a while back), and I keep my nose to the grindstone trying to research and find the right solution to the problem. Since I had some time today, I was looking at something called the "Cepstrum" which is sort of an odd animal. its name originates from rearranging the word "spectrum," reversing the first four letters. I have to tell you the definition because even though it's abstract, it is kinda funny to say (copied from wikipedia):
"verbally: the power cepstrum (of a signal) is the squared magnitude of the Fourier transform of the logarithm of the squared magnitude of the Fourier transform of a signal"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cepstrum
lol. But wait! there's more! for only $19.99 you can hear the other terms associated with various cepstrum operations! (okay, fine. I'll give it to ya for free!)
Instead of talking about time, even though strictly speaking, the unit is time, but we went into the frequency domain and then back to the unit of time but not the time domain) so we are not in the frequency domain either, the independent variable of the cepstrum of a signal is called "Quefrency" (mangled version of frequency) of the signal. Further, whereas in the frequency domain one has filters, in the quefrency domain there are "Lifters" (mangled version of filters). Which is another whole pun in and of itself because you can use lifters to "lift" particular frequency components and their harmonics from a signal.
Let's say that you are recording audio signals and somebody is talking in the room next door.... very annoying. now you have someone else's voice that you didn't intend to have in your recording. You can use lifters to lift that voice out of the signal and kinda erase it. Or maybe you wanna know what the person was saying, then you could isolate it! Super cool. I am of course very new to the concept, but it is almost as if the cepstrum is like a second order frequency transform, allowing you to see the spectrum of the spectrum. Here is a cool pic of a spectrum and the cepstrum of that.
So that was great find for the day. Thanks for reading though that bit of techy stuff, I hope you enjoyed it.
On another note, my girlfriend Elisa is now in Switzerland on vacation for about 10 days, but before she left she stopped by to see the new place (and maybe to see me too). Since I had recently failed at a dinner I intended to make, I thought I'd give it another shot and make dinner for both Scott and Elisa... and the result? Success baby! haha, it ended up being very good, in spite of my inexperience. I fixed penne chicken alfredo with black olives and artichoke hearts, with brocoli, cauliflower and carrots. 2% milk was also available as a beverage. See, see, see!
I suppose presentation leaves a little to be desired... all I had were sippy cups and plastic plates and silverware, but I think everyone enjoyed the meal. That makes me happy. So that you can see the house, I decided to give you a "flash" tour that wasn't too long. so I basically ran through the house with my camera. Here ya go.
And I guess that will conclude my remarks for this afternoon. I'll be sure to take some nice HD pictures when I get my room more organized and cleaned up. Until then, via con Dios, my friends!
So now I'm moved. Scott and I are settling into the new place and refactoring our organizational methods. Before I get into the house/food stuff, I wanted to tell you about something kinda cool that I learned today. Like anything worth learning, this tasty morsel requires just a tad bit of background...
Signal processing is the science/art of modifying or analyzing some sequence of values for useful purposes. An example might be checking the stock market value of some particular stock every day for a year, then taking those values and taking the moving average of every week of values as they come out to have a better "Feel" of that stock and then making some decision based on it. Here is a wikipedia article with a little more precise language if you'd like to explore (I would if I were you =) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_processing
Some more interesting (to me) applications of signal processing are things like filtering an audio signal so that you can turn up the bass and really "bump" in your car or house... lol. At any rate, like any technical domain, there are plenty of cool terms and a few that are just made-up because whoever invented it had a good sense of humor.
For example, in signal processing we talk about the frequency spectrum (a range of frequencies we are interested in), we talk about low-pass filters who "allow" low frequencies through and "stop" higher frequenices (this really kind of a generalization a moving average, when you think about it).
So now to the funny part. I have been working on a rather challenging filter for a while now (I posted about it a while back), and I keep my nose to the grindstone trying to research and find the right solution to the problem. Since I had some time today, I was looking at something called the "Cepstrum" which is sort of an odd animal. its name originates from rearranging the word "spectrum," reversing the first four letters. I have to tell you the definition because even though it's abstract, it is kinda funny to say (copied from wikipedia):
"verbally: the power cepstrum (of a signal) is the squared magnitude of the Fourier transform of the logarithm of the squared magnitude of the Fourier transform of a signal"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cepstrum
lol. But wait! there's more! for only $19.99 you can hear the other terms associated with various cepstrum operations! (okay, fine. I'll give it to ya for free!)
Instead of talking about time, even though strictly speaking, the unit is time, but we went into the frequency domain and then back to the unit of time but not the time domain) so we are not in the frequency domain either, the independent variable of the cepstrum of a signal is called "Quefrency" (mangled version of frequency) of the signal. Further, whereas in the frequency domain one has filters, in the quefrency domain there are "Lifters" (mangled version of filters). Which is another whole pun in and of itself because you can use lifters to "lift" particular frequency components and their harmonics from a signal.
Let's say that you are recording audio signals and somebody is talking in the room next door.... very annoying. now you have someone else's voice that you didn't intend to have in your recording. You can use lifters to lift that voice out of the signal and kinda erase it. Or maybe you wanna know what the person was saying, then you could isolate it! Super cool. I am of course very new to the concept, but it is almost as if the cepstrum is like a second order frequency transform, allowing you to see the spectrum of the spectrum. Here is a cool pic of a spectrum and the cepstrum of that.
On another note, my girlfriend Elisa is now in Switzerland on vacation for about 10 days, but before she left she stopped by to see the new place (and maybe to see me too). Since I had recently failed at a dinner I intended to make, I thought I'd give it another shot and make dinner for both Scott and Elisa... and the result? Success baby! haha, it ended up being very good, in spite of my inexperience. I fixed penne chicken alfredo with black olives and artichoke hearts, with brocoli, cauliflower and carrots. 2% milk was also available as a beverage. See, see, see!
I suppose presentation leaves a little to be desired... all I had were sippy cups and plastic plates and silverware, but I think everyone enjoyed the meal. That makes me happy. So that you can see the house, I decided to give you a "flash" tour that wasn't too long. so I basically ran through the house with my camera. Here ya go.
And I guess that will conclude my remarks for this afternoon. I'll be sure to take some nice HD pictures when I get my room more organized and cleaned up. Until then, via con Dios, my friends!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Dapper dudes, miss-bowled and flexible filtering
Hey there partner! =) Glad you took the time to head my direction...
This weekend was fun. Elisa came over on Saturday and we had some great talks. I had promised her a surprise activity, so she thought it was great when we finally arrived at Sunny Bowl in Mountain View to do a little bowling... here is Sunny Bowl...
I think I need to do more manual labor or something because we only bowled two games and my hands were a little sore from gripping the ball... No good! =(
Elisa was sure that she could beat me at this game... (we have an ongoing competition when we play games). As it turned out, I beat her the first game and she beat me in the 2nd. Just 'cause I'm so proud of our high scores, I thought I'd post the frames for everyone to see (this is for you James!).
So, we had a good time there. That was Saturday, on Sunday, I needed to accomplish some things for work, so I have been researching and designing a variable-frequency, variable-order filter to address that problem that I posted a few days ago. I think I have it conquered, but I wish I could simulate the thing... that always gives me more confidence. Here is the rough block diagram
This weekend was fun. Elisa came over on Saturday and we had some great talks. I had promised her a surprise activity, so she thought it was great when we finally arrived at Sunny Bowl in Mountain View to do a little bowling... here is Sunny Bowl...
Yes indeed, it really looks "Sunny" in there, but you should've seen the look on their faces when I walked toward the door and turned right around seeing that there was no way that they had a bowling alley "in the back!" =) I suppose I had the funnier/confused look on my face though. I should've done my homework a little better!! Well, we finally did find a place to go bowling (Palo Alto Bowl) and really enjoyed ourselves. Hopefully you get this quote, but I felt much more like "King of the Lanes" than "King of the Trolls" for this pic...
Elisa was sure that she could beat me at this game... (we have an ongoing competition when we play games). As it turned out, I beat her the first game and she beat me in the 2nd. Just 'cause I'm so proud of our high scores, I thought I'd post the frames for everyone to see (this is for you James!).
It was E-Train vs. G-Dog, and the battle was a fierce one! I even have the play-by-play for you with this next video, lol
So, we had a good time there. That was Saturday, on Sunday, I needed to accomplish some things for work, so I have been researching and designing a variable-frequency, variable-order filter to address that problem that I posted a few days ago. I think I have it conquered, but I wish I could simulate the thing... that always gives me more confidence. Here is the rough block diagram
It is kinda neat how variable frequency filters can be realized these days... the one I'm designing is based on something called "Switched-Capacitors" which emulate resistors.... kinda cool really. Even though it is an analog filter, it is actually discretely sampled; that is, even though I can put a very precise amount of water in my bucket, I'm still getting a fixed number of buckets every second... like everything, it is a tradeoff, but with a little pre-filtering, and at high speed "bucketing" (like 100 kHz) I can get very nice looking, accurate filtering done... way cool. =)
Lastly on my update agenda is the fact that this is likely my last post from my current abode (in Sunnyvale). Cousin Scott closes escrow on his home tomorrow, so we'll be moving in this week! =) yay! so next time I should have some pictures of the new place. In a nostalgic bid to remember this little hat-hanger, I took one last pic of the bathroom... only because it had two mirrors and I could doubly reverse my reflection and show you the cool new CSUC pride I have!!! LOL, I'll miss something things about this place, but I sure wont miss the family below us that get in an argument at 11:30pm every evening.... anyhow, here is the new duds
pretty snazzy, right? Even some nice baller Chico State shorts... Garrett, you're afraid of these shorts, aren't you? Well, you should be. personally, I'd give you one chance in three. More tea anyone?
Okay, well that's it for now... one last thought, tho: you should really drink more water, it's sooooo good for you!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
What's in a name (or a tree)?
I think this might be a record for my blogging frequency! Only just yesterday I gave you a lengthy update and here I am back at it again... =) too much good stuff to say, I guess.
Since I decided to not work on work over the rest of the weekend, I decided that maybe I'd see if I could make some progress on tree modeling (another back-burner project that's been cookin' for awhile now). I have been reading about fractals and their recursive nature, and I was inspired that trees seem to show this same nature in the structure as well. Since it has long been a goal of mine to mathematically model a tree, a logical place to start is to generate the static structure or skeleton of a tree automatically (this takes forever to do by hand).
Today was my first shot at trying to actually implement some code to do this in MATLAB, but low and behold, it worked out alright. This is only a 2-dimensional version, but you'll get the idea. It can be easily extended into 3D. After some trial and tribulation, here is a tree to chew on... this tree has 3 branches per level and is 4 levels deep.
Since I decided to not work on work over the rest of the weekend, I decided that maybe I'd see if I could make some progress on tree modeling (another back-burner project that's been cookin' for awhile now). I have been reading about fractals and their recursive nature, and I was inspired that trees seem to show this same nature in the structure as well. Since it has long been a goal of mine to mathematically model a tree, a logical place to start is to generate the static structure or skeleton of a tree automatically (this takes forever to do by hand).
Today was my first shot at trying to actually implement some code to do this in MATLAB, but low and behold, it worked out alright. This is only a 2-dimensional version, but you'll get the idea. It can be easily extended into 3D. After some trial and tribulation, here is a tree to chew on... this tree has 3 branches per level and is 4 levels deep.
by changing a couple of numbers, I can very quickly generate a new tree with very different structure...
I am of course still working on the details, so these are only rough-draft trees, but it is exciting to get some visual results so quickly. Part of why these trees don't look familiar (Beyond the fact that they are perfectly generated and perfectly symmetrical) is that a real tree has gravity acting on it which pull weaker branches down and makes it look a little less upright. this algorithm is really generating trees that you might think of as having grown upside-down! of course, it would also help to have thicker lines for the bigger branches, etc. but all in good time.
Just a few more variables to throw in their for me to get pictures that will look more like the trees we are trying to model, but this is a good start for today.
I hope y'all have a great week! G-out
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