Heh. I just wanted a melodramatic title. :)
I was traversing the parking lot today and ran into a friend of mine. After exchanging greetings and customary hugs, she and her friend went their way and I went mine. Despedidas were then exchanged, and as the distance between us increased a car passed.
So what.
Well, this car passing completely annihilated (to my admittedly faulty hearing) what she said next.
Well? Shout "What?" or "Come again?"
Nah.
"POTATO!!!"
The response?
"I'm glad you got that!"
Thus ended the conversation. I'm still not sure what I got.
Amusing?
Yes.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Odd Fellow
I don't often notice little things, especially little things about other people. I'll notice odd peculiarities in any of a number of circumstances, but I tend to avoid scrutinizing people. (Barring infosec transactions...then my CS nerd gets all excited.)
I sat in the lobby of an office today. Across from me was a kid with a light backpack and a ski jacket. He had the gaunt, taught face of someone historically loaded with worry but not yet accustomed to it. The load had yet to etch its indelible marks into his features.
He seemed to be meandering aimlessly without moving a muscle. Being in that place seemed important to him, though I couldn't tell why.
I think he noticed me. It's uncertain when a person's eyes are that glazed over just what is or isn't happening between the ears. The eyes also had a myopic cant to them; the world wasn't in focus. It wasn't a lack of physical focus only--it seemed like his next objective was clouded while his overall course was obscured completely.
Definitely muttering under his breath, that one. Some phrases encouraging himself toward some far-off unknown goal, some lambasting some turn of fortune or choice made.
There was a slackness to his posture that was odd. It conveyed that he might let go of the coat he was holding at any time, and that at the same time he might lose his seemingly tenuous connection with reality.
This guy didn't take care of himself terribly well. His gait was a bit uneven, and from the stoop of his shoulders his physical frame was an added layer of weight pressed under all the other loads he carried.
You could almost feel the warping of spacetime as his thoughts raced in tight loops of limited information, lack of perspective, fractured self-confidence, and timorous feelings. Occasionally he'd shudder out a sigh, I suppose out of sheer frustration with how limited he was in just grasping whatever the matter was.
Just after these brief moments a clarity would cross his face, and he would try to brook time and space for a moment and then rapidly descend into another spiral of angst and worry, frustration and annoyance.
His confusion increased when his test results came back.
After heaving a sigh he left with an air of determined resignation. A hint of frustration and confusion wafted in with that air, and perhaps an underlying layer of insanity.
Maybe someday I'll bump into that kid and ask what happened, where all his energies wound up. I hope so. I also hope things work out for him.
I sat in the lobby of an office today. Across from me was a kid with a light backpack and a ski jacket. He had the gaunt, taught face of someone historically loaded with worry but not yet accustomed to it. The load had yet to etch its indelible marks into his features.
He seemed to be meandering aimlessly without moving a muscle. Being in that place seemed important to him, though I couldn't tell why.
I think he noticed me. It's uncertain when a person's eyes are that glazed over just what is or isn't happening between the ears. The eyes also had a myopic cant to them; the world wasn't in focus. It wasn't a lack of physical focus only--it seemed like his next objective was clouded while his overall course was obscured completely.
Definitely muttering under his breath, that one. Some phrases encouraging himself toward some far-off unknown goal, some lambasting some turn of fortune or choice made.
There was a slackness to his posture that was odd. It conveyed that he might let go of the coat he was holding at any time, and that at the same time he might lose his seemingly tenuous connection with reality.
This guy didn't take care of himself terribly well. His gait was a bit uneven, and from the stoop of his shoulders his physical frame was an added layer of weight pressed under all the other loads he carried.
You could almost feel the warping of spacetime as his thoughts raced in tight loops of limited information, lack of perspective, fractured self-confidence, and timorous feelings. Occasionally he'd shudder out a sigh, I suppose out of sheer frustration with how limited he was in just grasping whatever the matter was.
Just after these brief moments a clarity would cross his face, and he would try to brook time and space for a moment and then rapidly descend into another spiral of angst and worry, frustration and annoyance.
His confusion increased when his test results came back.
After heaving a sigh he left with an air of determined resignation. A hint of frustration and confusion wafted in with that air, and perhaps an underlying layer of insanity.
Maybe someday I'll bump into that kid and ask what happened, where all his energies wound up. I hope so. I also hope things work out for him.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Jonny the Jalopy--on a stick
A few of you will understand where I got that name...
So driving stick is fun. :) Mind you, it's also a pain, but today's experience wasn't too bad.
Before my first lesson earlier this year I made sure to get my dad to explain the clutch to me. No, not just what "in" and "out" mean (which are actually highly variable), but blast it, give me a mechanical drawing, principles of operation, potential quirks due to emergent behaviors of a simple system...a basic understanding of the beast. That had been the most intimidating part. After a session with my dad, a chalkboard, and some dumb ;) questions, I thought I had it. At least kind of. (Turns out the transmission has some black magic of its own: synchros.)
My first time behind the wheel of a stick was interesting. I learned a lot but didn't go very far.
Last driving practice on a manual was a bit rough. I killed it once, had a nasty bucking session (match power feed with the time constant of the flywheel mass and clutch spring constant and voila: you're sitting on a driven oscillator), and putted around the neighborhood for about 5 or 10 min. before both my instructor (Mom or brother; don't recall) were too fed up with the process and I jerkily settled the car in the driveway. This session was important, but I butted up against the session restriction: no "high" (read: 3rd or higher) gears until you master starting and stopping. You Will Master The Clutch And First Gear Or You Will Not Do Anything Cool. 'Master,' mind you, not 'get passing good with.'
Thus started today. My dad and I decided to go to the temple. We then decided to take the stick. I hadn't 'mastered' starting, let alone passing the 'sit stationary pointed uphill using just the gas and clutch to stay put' test my mom required of my younger brother before letting him hit the highway, so I figured I'd be the passenger.
"You wanna drive?" Dad asked?
"Um, sure, but we'll have to hit a driveway and..." So I explained.
"Ok. Sounds good." His response was nice; I'd get some practice in. :D
I wandered through back roads leading to the latest possible highway entrance, only managing to buck significantly once and kill it once. "Par with the last session. Stop while you're ahead, K?" I thought to myself. Well, about halfway through the leg of the trip prior to the highway, I've been up to fourth gear and started and stopped a few times without much trouble, So, methinks, I'm doing alright."
About now Dad springs on me the idea that highway driving isn't much different. Just get into 5th gear, handle the throttle differently, and you're good. If you're comfortable with open freeway driving in an automatic then driving a stick isn't much different.
He was right.
Aside from downshifting during on ramps, using the engine to brake, and some other tricks you pick up on the smaller roads, it was. I made it to the temple and back (about 20 min.) safely. While I do still have some work to do on my starting, all the time in higher gears and actually moving gave me a lot more confidence so that I could talk shop with my dad as he described how to improve. (That's where the driven oscillator conversation happened. Turns out the idea is to pick a different point to start feeling for the catching sensation or use a different initial motor speed.) I even started to make superfluous complete stops so that I could start implementing the changes. While I do still have some work to do on my starting, all the time in higher gears and actually moving gave me a lot more confidence in my ability to drive a stick. This, in turn, made refining my skills a much more pleasant and much less nerve-wracking experience.
Eat that, last driving session.
So driving stick is fun. :) Mind you, it's also a pain, but today's experience wasn't too bad.
Before my first lesson earlier this year I made sure to get my dad to explain the clutch to me. No, not just what "in" and "out" mean (which are actually highly variable), but blast it, give me a mechanical drawing, principles of operation, potential quirks due to emergent behaviors of a simple system...a basic understanding of the beast. That had been the most intimidating part. After a session with my dad, a chalkboard, and some dumb ;) questions, I thought I had it. At least kind of. (Turns out the transmission has some black magic of its own: synchros.)
My first time behind the wheel of a stick was interesting. I learned a lot but didn't go very far.
Last driving practice on a manual was a bit rough. I killed it once, had a nasty bucking session (match power feed with the time constant of the flywheel mass and clutch spring constant and voila: you're sitting on a driven oscillator), and putted around the neighborhood for about 5 or 10 min. before both my instructor (Mom or brother; don't recall) were too fed up with the process and I jerkily settled the car in the driveway. This session was important, but I butted up against the session restriction: no "high" (read: 3rd or higher) gears until you master starting and stopping. You Will Master The Clutch And First Gear Or You Will Not Do Anything Cool. 'Master,' mind you, not 'get passing good with.'
Thus started today. My dad and I decided to go to the temple. We then decided to take the stick. I hadn't 'mastered' starting, let alone passing the 'sit stationary pointed uphill using just the gas and clutch to stay put' test my mom required of my younger brother before letting him hit the highway, so I figured I'd be the passenger.
"You wanna drive?" Dad asked?
"Um, sure, but we'll have to hit a driveway and..." So I explained.
"Ok. Sounds good." His response was nice; I'd get some practice in. :D
I wandered through back roads leading to the latest possible highway entrance, only managing to buck significantly once and kill it once. "Par with the last session. Stop while you're ahead, K?" I thought to myself. Well, about halfway through the leg of the trip prior to the highway, I've been up to fourth gear and started and stopped a few times without much trouble, So, methinks, I'm doing alright."
About now Dad springs on me the idea that highway driving isn't much different. Just get into 5th gear, handle the throttle differently, and you're good. If you're comfortable with open freeway driving in an automatic then driving a stick isn't much different.
He was right.
Aside from downshifting during on ramps, using the engine to brake, and some other tricks you pick up on the smaller roads, it was. I made it to the temple and back (about 20 min.) safely. While I do still have some work to do on my starting, all the time in higher gears and actually moving gave me a lot more confidence so that I could talk shop with my dad as he described how to improve. (That's where the driven oscillator conversation happened. Turns out the idea is to pick a different point to start feeling for the catching sensation or use a different initial motor speed.) I even started to make superfluous complete stops so that I could start implementing the changes. While I do still have some work to do on my starting, all the time in higher gears and actually moving gave me a lot more confidence in my ability to drive a stick. This, in turn, made refining my skills a much more pleasant and much less nerve-wracking experience.
Eat that, last driving session.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Happy Final Exit
That sounds incredibly deep and of great import.
It's not.
It's just that I was afraid of my Mathematical Proofs class final, as I hadn't done any homework the last two weeks of class and we covered a topic that still kinda confuses me--delta epsilon proofs. I crammed for an hour prior. It seemed hopeless; I'd done well on previous tests, but the sheer volume of material and the emphasis on this last concept worried me. I forced myself to complete a d-e proof end-to-end. It was a simple one for a wee little linear function.
Lo and behold, as promised by the professor, it was on the test. Only it was a quadratic this time. After some finagling and tweaking, I found a workable delta. I even had time to double check it. All the other proofs weren't terribly worrisome either: even the inductive proof was straight induction and algebra.
I says to me, "Self, you oughta be proud of yourself. You did great. You had an answer for every question; one that felt right, even!" "Well," says I, "pride is dumb. I'll be humbled in a minute here when I see my multiple-choice score. Some of those were tricky and I'm not the best at details." "Well, self, you'll see."
Down the stairs, out the door. Pause, assess high-load layout and traffic patterns, shuffle over and look at the score monitor.
"You? 100%"
W000000000000000000T!
Hoorah!
Erm, :D
Who do I tell?
Meh. Nobody.
I could blog about it...
Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!one!!!!!!!!!
Eat that final final from the semester of internal pwnage and panzerfication! I can prove stuff!
Now you've shared in that happy moment. :D
It's not.
It's just that I was afraid of my Mathematical Proofs class final, as I hadn't done any homework the last two weeks of class and we covered a topic that still kinda confuses me--delta epsilon proofs. I crammed for an hour prior. It seemed hopeless; I'd done well on previous tests, but the sheer volume of material and the emphasis on this last concept worried me. I forced myself to complete a d-e proof end-to-end. It was a simple one for a wee little linear function.
Lo and behold, as promised by the professor, it was on the test. Only it was a quadratic this time. After some finagling and tweaking, I found a workable delta. I even had time to double check it. All the other proofs weren't terribly worrisome either: even the inductive proof was straight induction and algebra.
I says to me, "Self, you oughta be proud of yourself. You did great. You had an answer for every question; one that felt right, even!" "Well," says I, "pride is dumb. I'll be humbled in a minute here when I see my multiple-choice score. Some of those were tricky and I'm not the best at details." "Well, self, you'll see."
Down the stairs, out the door. Pause, assess high-load layout and traffic patterns, shuffle over and look at the score monitor.
"You? 100%"
W000000000000000000T!
Hoorah!
Erm, :D
Who do I tell?
Meh. Nobody.
I could blog about it...
Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!one!!!!!!!!!
Eat that final final from the semester of internal pwnage and panzerfication! I can prove stuff!
Now you've shared in that happy moment. :D
Monday, October 4, 2010
Old piece
Hello!
First, this piece is REALLY old. Some may know how old, most won't. It may or may not be autobiographical and may or may not refer to reality...I'll go with the disclaimer side. Oh well.
Wednesday - Here
The UNS Fife was holed stern-to-aft this evening by the rail cannon of a tentative-friendly fleet during reportedly routine maneuvers over White Mountain Harbor. Few sailors were lost as most were plunged into cryostasis immediately after the impact, though casualty lists are not yet available. The ship managed to reach the nearby United Navy Station Drydock Hermit where it was locked down under multiple layers of physical and network security. We have not received word yet as to its status or repairablility. The few messages passed on by the crew reflect the harsh atmosphere under which the ship is being kept. Only the most necessary interactions with other fleet members are permitted and Srizbinski quantum pumps are being used to maintain a cool one kelvin and a hard vacuum. Few crew members have been resuscitated pending further analysis of the damage and its causes, as the AI and numerous other systems are suspect in provoking the incident.
Saturday - UNSD Hermit - UNS Fife
The lockdown continues today as investigators pore over the rather sparse evidence. Speculation runs wild: is this a covert UNS op gone wrong? is the oft-touted AI running the fleet's most powerful warships truly and deeply flawed? was the UNS Fife pursuing a ship that seemed friendly but simply did not want pursuit? These questions rattle our understanding of the UNS' operations in this sector and defy explanation; however, a few friendly nations have extended support by offering damage inspectors, grief analysis experts, and past incident experience. This has allayed many of the suspicions of the high brass, and we look forward to forthcoming information in the near future.
Sunday - UNSD Hermit - UNS Fife
Work is progressing rapidly in repairing the structural damage and thawing soldiers. Contact with the UNS was established late Saturday by the captain of the ship who fired on the UNS Fife, and a great deal of understanding was received regarding the provocation in the attack. This has led to selection of several specific subsystems for revisal and modification. Authorities are still searching for answers to a handful of questions before certain major shielding and navigation systems are completed, though most repairs are nearing completion. We have learned that the shot originated from a vessel in a fleet with a tentative-friendly IFF while awaiting an opportunity to clarify treaty provisions via a secure channel. Communications from the UNS Fife are still under close guard, but many of the most severe security restrictions have been lifted and the crew are being permitted leave on the station as fast as they are revived.
The investigation concluded three months later, about when repairs had been completed. Crew members interviewed more recently insist that a friendly foreign power was instrumental in completing many repairs, and some major retrofits are still underway. A UNS spokesperson declined the opportunity to comment. Two years after the incident. further investigation has shown that the UNS Fife was severely needing a refit. The damage from this encounter enabled some core changes that would have otherwise been left until 'later' due to cost and red tape. Other diplomatic ties are currently under cultivation and have led to many advances in naval theory and technical capabilities.
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
First, this piece is REALLY old. Some may know how old, most won't. It may or may not be autobiographical and may or may not refer to reality...I'll go with the disclaimer side. Oh well.
Wednesday - Here
The UNS Fife was holed stern-to-aft this evening by the rail cannon of a tentative-friendly fleet during reportedly routine maneuvers over White Mountain Harbor. Few sailors were lost as most were plunged into cryostasis immediately after the impact, though casualty lists are not yet available. The ship managed to reach the nearby United Navy Station Drydock Hermit where it was locked down under multiple layers of physical and network security. We have not received word yet as to its status or repairablility. The few messages passed on by the crew reflect the harsh atmosphere under which the ship is being kept. Only the most necessary interactions with other fleet members are permitted and Srizbinski quantum pumps are being used to maintain a cool one kelvin and a hard vacuum. Few crew members have been resuscitated pending further analysis of the damage and its causes, as the AI and numerous other systems are suspect in provoking the incident.
Saturday - UNSD Hermit - UNS Fife
The lockdown continues today as investigators pore over the rather sparse evidence. Speculation runs wild: is this a covert UNS op gone wrong? is the oft-touted AI running the fleet's most powerful warships truly and deeply flawed? was the UNS Fife pursuing a ship that seemed friendly but simply did not want pursuit? These questions rattle our understanding of the UNS' operations in this sector and defy explanation; however, a few friendly nations have extended support by offering damage inspectors, grief analysis experts, and past incident experience. This has allayed many of the suspicions of the high brass, and we look forward to forthcoming information in the near future.
Sunday - UNSD Hermit - UNS Fife
Work is progressing rapidly in repairing the structural damage and thawing soldiers. Contact with the UNS was established late Saturday by the captain of the ship who fired on the UNS Fife, and a great deal of understanding was received regarding the provocation in the attack. This has led to selection of several specific subsystems for revisal and modification. Authorities are still searching for answers to a handful of questions before certain major shielding and navigation systems are completed, though most repairs are nearing completion. We have learned that the shot originated from a vessel in a fleet with a tentative-friendly IFF while awaiting an opportunity to clarify treaty provisions via a secure channel. Communications from the UNS Fife are still under close guard, but many of the most severe security restrictions have been lifted and the crew are being permitted leave on the station as fast as they are revived.
The investigation concluded three months later, about when repairs had been completed. Crew members interviewed more recently insist that a friendly foreign power was instrumental in completing many repairs, and some major retrofits are still underway. A UNS spokesperson declined the opportunity to comment. Two years after the incident. further investigation has shown that the UNS Fife was severely needing a refit. The damage from this encounter enabled some core changes that would have otherwise been left until 'later' due to cost and red tape. Other diplomatic ties are currently under cultivation and have led to many advances in naval theory and technical capabilities.
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Eratron PPC 8200 and family
Howdy!
You're no doubt tearing your hair out looking for some tidbit of technical data on a piece of Eratron equipment. Me too. I've found a few things that might help you:
Eratron is another name for ERA, or Energy Research Associates that was based in or near San Francisco some time ago. (Source) The patent application mentioned below indicates it was Campbell, California.
They patented their electron beam power supply design. It's rather brilliant compared to the more conventional design the Mideast Industries PR-40 uses, but its brilliance shows up mostly in electron beam applications where output arcing is not uncommon.
The patent number is 4,314,324. If you use the USPTO site, you'll want to go to http://www.uspto.gov/. In the left column under Patents click Search. Scroll down to the heading "USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT)" and click on either Patent Number Search (if you want just the text) or View Patent Full-Page Images (if you want the partial schematics). Enter the patent number on either page and it'll zap you right to the patent.
Now if you're like me, the computer will be grumpy and not show the TIFF image the image viewer embeds. If this is the case, right click on the side of the page, select View Source, scroll down in the new window to the bottom and start looking for:
<embed src="/.DImg?Docid=04314324&PageNum=1&IDKey=219CCF24E627
&ImgFormat=tif" width="570" height="840" type=image/tiff></embed>
Now for a bit of surgery. Take the URL you've found for the image viewer. For me it was:
http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=4314324&idkey=NONE
Snip up and paste together a Frankenstein URL using the first half of the image viewer URL and the embed tag's data:
http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=04314324&PageNum=1&IDKey=219CCF24E627
&ImgFormat=tif
Paste that into your address bar and the image should come up after thinking a bit. Now, see that PageNum=1 bit stuck in the middle? You can use your original page viewer to see how many pages there were and what sections they were divided into to navigate simply by changing that one number.
Cool, eh? :) I thought so anyway. It's a simple hack. If you want to actually read the images or keep them, you can use a tool like wget with the Frankenstein URL to pull the TIFFs straight off the server.
Have a nice day!
...and remember, 3-phase can kill you. :)
You're no doubt tearing your hair out looking for some tidbit of technical data on a piece of Eratron equipment. Me too. I've found a few things that might help you:
Eratron is another name for ERA, or Energy Research Associates that was based in or near San Francisco some time ago. (Source) The patent application mentioned below indicates it was Campbell, California.
They patented their electron beam power supply design. It's rather brilliant compared to the more conventional design the Mideast Industries PR-40 uses, but its brilliance shows up mostly in electron beam applications where output arcing is not uncommon.
The patent number is 4,314,324. If you use the USPTO site, you'll want to go to http://www.uspto.gov/. In the left column under Patents click Search. Scroll down to the heading "USPTO Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT)" and click on either Patent Number Search (if you want just the text) or View Patent Full-Page Images (if you want the partial schematics). Enter the patent number on either page and it'll zap you right to the patent.
Now if you're like me, the computer will be grumpy and not show the TIFF image the image viewer embeds. If this is the case, right click on the side of the page, select View Source, scroll down in the new window to the bottom and start looking for:
<embed src="/.DImg?Docid=04314324&PageNum=1&IDKey=219CCF24E627
&ImgFormat=tif" width="570" height="840" type=image/tiff></embed>
Now for a bit of surgery. Take the URL you've found for the image viewer. For me it was:
http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=4314324&idkey=NONE
Snip up and paste together a Frankenstein URL using the first half of the image viewer URL and the embed tag's data:
http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.DImg?Docid=04314324&PageNum=1&IDKey=219CCF24E627
&ImgFormat=tif
Paste that into your address bar and the image should come up after thinking a bit. Now, see that PageNum=1 bit stuck in the middle? You can use your original page viewer to see how many pages there were and what sections they were divided into to navigate simply by changing that one number.
Cool, eh? :) I thought so anyway. It's a simple hack. If you want to actually read the images or keep them, you can use a tool like wget with the Frankenstein URL to pull the TIFFs straight off the server.
Have a nice day!
...and remember, 3-phase can kill you. :)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Where has the Wavetek 195 Gone??
I was recently asked as part of my employment to find a manual for a Wavetek 195. After much Googling and hunting and prodding and sifting, I found absolutely nothing. This is why I'm writing this post.
The Wavetek 195 was renumbered as a Fluke 282.
It's that simple. I had to call Fluke, ask, and be called back as they had a hard time rediscovering this fact for themselves. The Wavetek 195 shows up in exactly one document in all of their internal systems, and that document is what you, the reader, can find for yourself. It's about 1 page and not terribly useful.
Oh, mergers...what fun! ;)
The Wavetek 195 was renumbered as a Fluke 282.
It's that simple. I had to call Fluke, ask, and be called back as they had a hard time rediscovering this fact for themselves. The Wavetek 195 shows up in exactly one document in all of their internal systems, and that document is what you, the reader, can find for yourself. It's about 1 page and not terribly useful.
Oh, mergers...what fun! ;)
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