Food, Equations, Exersice, and Lasers

Food

I have not been eating as well as I would like to be.  I have been eating out way to much.  I went a restocked my fridge and am going to start eating better again this week.

Equations

I have been playing a lot with SAGE and implicit modeling.  It is very cool to have this:
c = Tetrahedral (18,18,60)
sp = Sphere(1.5)
sld = Join(c,sp)
swplt = Plot3d(sld,5,100)
swplt

where you just define the individual shapes like this:
def Tetrahedral (a,b,c) : return ((x^2 + y^2 + z^2)^2 + a*x*y*z - b*(x^2 + y^2 + z^2) + c)
def Sphere (r) : return (x^2+y^2+z^2-r^2
and a join like this:
def Join (a,b) : return Min2(a,b)

And what comes out is:

Yes that is a sphere floating in the middle...  I plan to try printing this.  It should work and have the ball trapped in the middle.  (I will post pictures if it works.)

Exersice

I went for a run this morning.  It was not a very long run, but it was a run.  I think I am going to join the "Movers and Shakers" club at work.  That is where you get a pedometer and log your miles.  You then get prizes at certain points.  It might be a good motivator....

Lasers

I think for my final project in my rapid prototyping class we are going to test and use a 3D scanner setup using free software called DAVID (http://www.david-laserscanner.com/).   What is very cool about this is that it uses any camera and a laser with a line diffuser on it.  You use the laser to scan the surface of the object while the camera records the shape of the line.  This is then converted into a 3D shape in the computer.

Getting Back in the Groove

Missed my weekly Sunday post this week.  I had a party on Sunday night for my sister Joiwyn who turned 16.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOIWYN!!!

I am enjoying my rapid prototyping class.  I just finished a lab report about a part I made to test printing threaded holes.  Next we get to test a 3D scanner...  Later we will be making our own 3D modeling software using SAGE and ISM, Implicit Solid Modeling.  SAGE is a free, open source, computer algebra program.  ISM is where you define a shape with a formula, f(x,y)=x^2 + y^2 - 1 for a disc.  This then is used to determine what is inside, on, and outside the object.

I have also been playing with OpenSCAD which is a open source cad engine that lets you model with a script that defines the object and then will render it. Very cool...

The First Week of Winter Quarter 2010

My school week was fairly uneventful, as the first week often is.  We got the class syllabus, and the first assignments.  I feel good about this quarter.

The first week back to work, after the Christmas break, also went well.  No major issues, so I have been able to get caught up on some lingering projects.

The highlight of my week was that after about 7 months without a kitchen sink, do to a remodeling project, I have running water in the kitchen again.

New Year's Resolutions

I have never been big on making new year's resolutions but I thought this might be a good time to start.  I have recently started sharing more online and feel that this is a good time to try and set a tone for this new year.  I have had some hard quarters and have chosen to take a lighter load next quarter and also to try and be more productive with the free time I have.  I have many projects that either have been started and not finished or I have not found the time to start.

This all started to get me thinking.  How can I do more?  How can I fit more things into an already busy schedule?  The solution is to add more structure to my life.  This may seem like an odd solution but when thinking about it I get more done when I plan to get more done.  Also when there are many projects it is easy to get lost in them all.  If I add structure and plan time for them I will be more likely to get them all done.

Also I made some great progress toward the end of last year in starting to lose some weight and get in better shape.  This gave me more energy and made me feel better both in mind and body.

So here are my resolutions for my life in this new year and start of a new quarter:

1. Continue to improve my eating habits
2. Continue to increase my fitness level
3. Schedule my time more
   
4. Watch less TV
   
5. Spend more time on projects

I may refine these and make a more firm plan over the next few weeks as my new schedule stabilizes, but this is the heart of my resolutions.  Resolutions are one of those things that are often made fun of because they are often forgotten.  I hope by sharing them it will help motivate me to keep them and for you to keep your own.