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Showing posts from 2013

The Path of Becoming a Master.

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During my time in the educational system I have often questioned what it took to become so proficient at a skill to become a master, a leader of accomplishment. It's a simple question with complicated answers. For example, if I want to become a great pianist, am I just born with these aptitudes or over time, practice, and frustrations; does it just happen?

His name was:

Always loved the view of the rain storms from his loft in the city. They calmed him. They were always a small grace in a world grown too big, too strained. It was a fortunate circumstance that he was able to acquire his home. High enough in the metropolis to still be able to enjoy the daylight, and the night for that matter. He was an investigator; the kind of guy that never sought work, or trouble for that matter, but he always managed to remain busy. His name was Jon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~Jacob Greenburg ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Blam..

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  Inspiration... Hmmm.. Inspiration ... !!!! It's something like that. Unfortunately these things are unpredictable...

Master's Thesis!

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My Master's Thesis: Aha!! Completion! Honestly, for a second there I didn't think that this was going to get done. Started sweating bullets for that last week or so of the writing. however, there was a strange sense of calm and determination that overcame me during this stressful time. I believe the biggest credit should go to my wife. Without her patience and support it couldn't have happened. Seriously, I was a bit of a jerk (by bit, I mean a lot.) and despite a few little spats here and there, we managed to keep cool heads. She kept me on task, no matter the cost. Furthermore, my parents. Through there support I was able to gain my second wind and keep fighting.  But seriously, this entire endeavor would not have been possible without the support of my advisers, friends, lab mates, close family, distant family, and absolute strangers. The absolute strangers are the clerks at the coffee shop that give you a high five. It's amazing what small gestu

Marine Life: The Jellyfish

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Jellies! In honor of my graduation from UNL my wife and parents had decided a trip to the Omaha Zoo. (as seen below) Now I love trips to the zoo and luckily the one here is considered to be one of the best in the nation! So I'm quite the lucky fella. View Larger Map Of course with any en devour involving the potentially natural, scientific, or educational opportunity can spark my interest. This time is no different! We saw animals, plants, many a sight to behold. But of course the real gem of the trip is the aquarium.  A tasty specimen. (courtesy: Wife.) So, In honor of the trip I decided I would write a few small features on my research and thoughts about the things I found at the Zoo. Today, we will discuss one of the most intriguing; Jelly Fish. .... Catch more after the break at the link below!

Stress and Our Reactions.

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Stress and Reaction. That "AHHH" feeling. From a purely mechanical standpoint stress can be defined as, "Pressure or tension exerted on a material object: "the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar."[1] This is an important definition to me as an engineer and scientist because it allows insight into the language that I understand. However, it is important as a person to be personal; Thus, a less rigid, more biological approach to its definition is desired. [Catch more after the break]

Nature Revisit.

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So during the rush of trying to finish my most recent accomplishment (Yay! Master of Science!!) I went for a bit of a nature hike. This is the same hike that was featured in my previous post here . More to the point, this hike was such a stress relief for me and aided so very much in clearing my head. In fact I probably wouldn't have gotten much done if I had not take a break to go on one or two of these at the height of my stress. I also have been helping my wife with some photo editing with Gimp  a freeware version of the popular photo suite. Since I originally snapped the above photo in her name, I decided it was a good place to learn and show her how to work her project. So here's the result. A gorgeous flower I found in this massive world. If anyone knows it's species I would love to hear from you. Cheers!

Glowing.

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We decided to have a small fire pit with the weather being so wonderful tonight. For a while there I thought the weather would never get better.  Good thing I was proved wrong! Cheers.

Abstraction and Confirmation

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Okay, so this is probably not of any interest other than a good bit of muttering nothing and a spot of fun. here it goes.... Abstraction , [ab*strac*tion]; n. a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance. ORIGIN: abstract, latin abstractus, "drawn away" Confirmation , [con*fir*ma*tion]; n. additional proof that something was believed (some fact or hypothesis or theory) is correct. ORIGIN: latin con- (with) + firmo, "to firm or strengthen" What's the difference between the two ideas? Now, I've had some downtime so don't hate; but, occasionally I do like to ramble, as I'm sure your all aware. These ramblings extend beyond my normal oral rhetoric and into something more akin to a, "thought experiment." So I ask again, "what is the difference?" I believe it to be one leads to another (abstraction to confirmation), but this cannot happen without the second being there (confirmation to abstraction). To me

The Cloud.

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So with the most recent addition to my "cloud" services, I've decided it's time to talk a little about this. For those of you who are uninitiated into the world of "the cloud" I'll give a brief introduction. You see, this idea is nothing new really, email services can almost be considered a cloud service. But basically, it's akin to a virtual hard drive of sorts. It's a place for you to store, manage, backup, and share digital information. While there are many services out now like Google Drive and Microsoft's SkyDrive, my favorite has been  https://www.dropbox.com/  . This service is the first one I was introduced to and features a slew of features that the others don't seem to have as readily. For instance, not only is it managed on their servers, but it keeps a copy on my computer as well. And of course it wouldn't be of any use if it didn't sync between the two automatically, which it does. Anyways, these services a

Dyes and Ties

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So my wife and I are having a garage sell with one of our neighbors, who knew we'd be each other's best customers. Anyways, she happened to have these nice shoe laces and that I happen to be in need of.  So I sat he'd up a few of my favorite colors and decided these will look great with a white pair already on my k-swiss sneaks. The shoes have seen better days of course; but with a quick polish and a bit of elbow grease,  I had them as fresh as a warm pastry. Check 'em out! I decided on the blue first. Why? Why not?! I even geek's out a bit and did a quick search on various lace patterns. Nothing like the revival  of an old pair. Cheers.

The Remnants

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It's always a sad day when one has to let go of their books. A sad but sometimes necessary action. Turns out that, along with being collections of knowledge, these things are heavy! It also happens to be that heavy things are not conducive to moving across the country. Therefore, a purge was necessary. Sad day. Not to be a complete pessimist this post I do have some great news! Come August 13th my wife and I will be moving to NY to continue with my education in pursuit of a PhD. Yup, I passed my oral exam/defense and will finish polishing my thesis soon.  Master of Science. I like the feel. Cheers!

These sorts of things happen all the time.

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Mmm.. static goodness. Life's pretty good when you're not moving; but, what happens when you do? The dynamic case! Of course always being dynamic can be difficult: I'd rather keep my equations derivative free if possible. So what's a person to do? Derive Quasi-static Loading! As far as I can tell it hasn't been done yet , not even sure of its value. Makes a nice slide show of derivations though. Cheers.

Mathemati ... HOOEY!

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Actually this is a good update. I'm now proud to say I've finished the "rough draft" of Chapter 4: methods. This chapter was a jaw dropping 20+ pages of mathematical set, analysis, and simulations. It features several illustrations of free body diagrams, DH parameters, and frame space models. Not to mention that it covers topics of 3 different robotic systems. And a cherry on top! It has a beautiful set of equations with expansions and n degree generalizations. Something like that, I'm proud, get off my back! Cheers. 

Thesis Joys!

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So today isn't such a bad day,  just a hectic one. I'm a bit worried and I know that I should be working nonstop on my thesis; but, I've got to have the chance to eat and refresh my mind. Btw, I now have roughly twenty-four hours until a preliminary copy of my masters thesis is due. It's OK though, no really, it's okay. My take on the situation is from one of my favorite novels "T he Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy " and that is "don't panic." That and 42. Speaking of numbers and mathematics, I believe I've finally cracked the formula for my theory of quasi-static loading! It only took a few years and a giant looming deadline but I think I did it! The solution turned out to actually be a hybrid theory of statics and kinematics that can be simplified to a series of summation and a single 6x6 matrix. Now just for that pesky writing... Cheers!

Nature Hike and Photography.

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" Come with me and a short trek into the local wilderness. It will be a journey of the most relaxing sorts, one where we can breathe and enjoy that which is around us. Come with me and we can seek the serenity of our locale forest. " I began my short stroll this evening as a way to clear my head of work and get some blood flowing. It started off stressful and hurried, as was my nature at the time, but ended with a calm and focused feeling that only such an experience could provide. As I went about my way I recalled a recent advertisement I saw about photography using an Android phone. At first I dismissed the idea as rubbish and asked myself, "How can my phone produce anything remarkable?" Much to my surprise I found myself snapping random photos of nature and my surroundings. This proved to be just the creative outlet I needed, something I could do and enjoy without much thought or effort. Honestly, between the walk and the few pictures I managed t

A Quick Rambling

Hmmpfff! Since I've been working oh so diligently on my Master's thesis I have not made a post in quite some time. As a matter of fact, I may receive some flack once this post goes public. In my defense I see this medium for writing as a departure from the mundane, a creative outlet if you will. For a change of pace where I can write a touch of a prose without the hampering of "formal" dialog. It truly is tiring to think of a certain purely logical topic for extended periods of time. Even more so when it extends beyond simple daydream of thought experiments and into a formal communication. That all being said, I got caught red handed. Back to the grind. Cheers!

Soft-bodied machines. Future of Actuation?

Squishy Robots. Pros: Soft, Delicate, and full of possibilities. innovative air pocket design and actuation. Cons: requires separate controller at the moment. limited force and torque capabilities? I'm actually rather interested in soft body robots as of late. What's really interesting about these robots is how "gentle" they can be. You don't necessary have to worry about these taking your arm off or even really doing serious damage to the environment when operated. It's a brilliant concept and one that is only recently being realized. The whole system relies on a series of air "bladders" that when inflated or compressed provide the robot with a form of actuation or movement. Through the use of the bladders an infinite work space could be considered as one is not restrained with the kinematics of rigid structures. Moreover it currently has many challenges. The main challenge that I see is controlling the system to a point that

Charlieplexing and YOU!

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I was in the lab last week and we got onto the topic of seven segment displays. Someone then proposed the challenge of driving it using only 4 I/Os without a driver. A very interesting challenge indeed. After much deliberation they finally shared the secret of Charlieplexing. This is a basic way to control large arrays of LEDs using just a few pins. In fact the equation works out as follows: L = n^2 - n Where L is the number of LEDs controlled and n is the number of pins that are used. Personally, I love this. I love LEDs and I love controlling them. Some possible project include using this method for larger LED cubes, 7-segment driving, and other fantastical inventions. Anyway, The circuit is actually pretty simple and available at the end of the video above. As for the code, it is just a matter of reassigning the pins to output or input on the fly and then changing the state of the other outputs. This goes into how it works. With a 3 pin setup, one pin must be changed to an inpu

Shout out to my Friends in Germany.

Hallo Freunde aus Deutschland! Es scheint, als ob ich hatte einige Besucher aus diesem Teil der Welt. Derzeit ist mein Deutsch schlecht, so verwende ich einen Übersetzer bin. Sorry, ich werde daran arbeiten. Dieser Beitrag ist meist nur ein kurzes Hallo und ein kleines Snippet von dem, was mein Blog über. Hier werde ich für elektronische Führungen Bewertungen und Erfindungen, die ich arbeite. Danka, Jacob

Raspberry Pi setup, First Run, How to, and Good times.

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Got my Raspberry Pi the other day.. Here's how I set it up for the first time. Check out the video. It's a pretty straight forward setup actually. Most of the instructions can be found on their website.   Some possible projects? Well my next installment will show you how to hook an Arduino up to it and operate it from python. We could look at hardware considerations, make the platform MORE portable. I'd like to get a small screen for it, maybe see if it has bluetooth support? Anything really, Suggestions?

Adafruit Arduino Protoboard (part of today's shipment)

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Today has been a Day. A day which will stick in memory for a long time.  Pushing beyond that, Moving forward if you will, I would like to present you all this. A small compilation I created that covers the basic assembly of the Adafruit Protoboard Shield. A very impressive bit of hardware if you ask me, Highly recommended. You can pick one up here . While you're there check out their other wares and let me know if you find anything interesting. Oh, side note, Comments are now enabled for people without accounts. Share your thoughts!

What Mysteries await?

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Here at the University I got a fairly large shipment in today and boy does it feel it Christmas! Here's a photo of the mystical brown boxes that contain magical wonders and dreams. What could they contain? Where did they come from? What fabulous creations will come of this? Ok, ok, calm down. We got this and I will be updating you all soon as to what mysteries they contain.

Blue Sky "Doing"!

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Oh, we made it hot!!! In all seriousness though, we would most likely be considered second out of four. Not two shabby for two Mechanical Engineering students with no software background! Needless to say, the event was a success and I look forward to the next time I can lend my talents and ideas. I met new faces and Many, many movers and shakers in the Lincoln community. Hopefully some of these contacts can get an idea or two off the ground and into a nice start-up. Many Congratulations were to be had and even a few people seeking out advice for their firms projects. Fascinating stuff really. Here's to Blue Sky Doing, Cheers.

Blue Sky Dreaming Pt.2

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I think that a good way to start this one off is with a little story. Back in December of 2012 I had a little project with Christmas lights. Of course with any project there are fail, success, and "I wish I did this." moments. I failed in that the system was complicated and cumbersome. This was an easy fix with more funds to buy extension cords and maybe some wireless transmitters (see XBee). The success? It worked! I also only got electrocuted once. :P As for the innovative, great, and "I wish I did this." moment. There's no outlet on my porch and I had to leave my door cracked in the dead of winter. It was cold, Very cold. This got me thinking, INDUCTIVE CHARGING! I emphasize the idea because it was a little bit of a eureka moment. The Problem: No power outlet outside. The Boundary: Glass window. The Solution: Wireless Power Transmission So the design would be really simple actually. Two coils opposite each other with magnetics to hold the two plates i

Blue Sky Dreaming

Since it's impossible for me to have a new project everyday, I've decided to start what I like to call "Blue Sky Dreaming". This essentially is me rambling about cool ideas and thoughts that might get the mind ticking and possibilities flowing. However, Keep in mind that this is in all actually just being silly and throwing things out there into the cosmos. (Hence blue sky dreaming) I haven't been able to sleep well the past.. Week. I've decided that while I'm laying in bed maybe I'll "dream" of cool physics principles and applications of understood phenomina. I am not a physicist, but who cares. Call me out on it. Magnets, How do they work?! Let's get some basics with our friend Wikipedia . Ignore most of that and focus on the well know fact that magets can generate electric currents and electric currents can generate magnets. Exciting right? I was thinking about applications obviously. What would happen if we put two electromagnet

Keyboard Phewy

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Just got a new Keyboard mount for my tablet (The samsung 7.7). Hopefully with that I can start making some more posts on a more regular basis. The future looks bright that's for certain. On another note, Recently I have been involved in several projects of interest. The one being mentioned on this blog earlier has to do with hospital round optimization. This project might actually be in danger of being dropped. This is only due to time constraints and the fact that I can't program more than a pretty picture in  Java. Yes, like it or not, a Mechanical Engineers forte is not programming Java. That being said, I really do enjoy the IOIO project and overall idea of controling anything and everything with my android based device. The trouble is the overall complexity of programming it. I guess it's just "Easy for some, Hard for many". Other popular projects include some Finite element analysis on a rover project I am working in a group with. Simple stuff, quick an

Nook Simple Touch NST - IOIO for Android connected

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Could it be possible? Is it possible? Did it happen? Yes, Yes, and YES! I have successfully controlled a IOIO development board using the Nook Simple Touch. Sadly, it's pretty late in the day right now for me to get a video of the sample blink program uploaded. So you'll have to take my word for it till tomorrow. I can post how I managed to do it though. Hardware needed: Nook Simple touch + Charging cable IOIO for android board + Supporting hardware from Sparkfun 2gb or equivalent MicroSD Card Software needed: IOIO development stuffs -  https://github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki/Downloads Nook root stuffs -  http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2040351 Nook Google Apps Stuffs -  http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2086582 Apps from market: Search market -  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=youten.redo.searchmarket ADB Toggle -  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adbdriver.adbtoggle Now this deve

Iron Man

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Buddy of mine posted this video to my Facebook time line: He also said, "Let's Make This." I promptly agreed... Now, time for an engineer/inventor's favorite part. Brainstorming. Seriously though, I need some thoughts and ideas. Movable Mask? Crazy LCD displays in mask? Light up power module (center of chest thingy)? Cool mechanical sounds? Articulating Armor? Let's blue sky this for a moment and dream... What would make an amazing Iron Man suit? Keep E-textiles in mind ;-)

Nook Simple Touch

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Got some big stuff going on with the future of Nook and USB hosting/slave. I've moved away from the typical Arduino and put in for a IOIO android board. It's rather interesting because it can work with much earlier versions of Android and doesn't require host support like the previous post does. Here's a sparkfun link to the IOIO board that I want and probably will be getting soon. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10748? Now the project is a little top secret to those of you who are not so close in my design group. Basically though I'm going to try to root a Nook Simple Touch to run the IOIO. This should give me basic I/O, PWM, Analog in, and other fun stuff with full support of an E-Ink touch screen. The Nook simple touch of course can be found at Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/nook-simple-touch-barnes-noble/1102344735