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UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 6

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:39:53 -0400

On a BOAT! ... Well, NEAR a boat. (full)

Wait, part 6? I never thought I'd get that many. On the other hand, breaking the SDS into small parts was inevitable: all that awesome can't be contained in one post.

How much awesome? Well, so far we've seen a plasma-guided rocket, aerodynamic bicycle farings, a life-size remote control and motion base, an SUV car wash, and an autonomous oil-spill cleaning robot. Is that enough awesome for you?

Well, maybe for you. BUT NOT FOR ME! Today I'll be showing you the EVs I saw at the SDS.

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 6"

UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 5

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:36:21 -0400

Environmentalist in a suit. (full size)

What do a plasma-guided rocket, aerodynamic bicycle farings, a life-size remote control and motion base, and an SUV car wash have in common? No, not that, get your head out of the gutter!

I got to see them all at the SDS and talk to the students who created them!

Today I'm returning to my environmental roots with an auto-adjusting solar collector and an autonomous oil skimmer.

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 5"

UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 4

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:44:43 -0400

What's this thing? Read on to find out. (full size)

Wow, we've looked at a lot of neat stuff at the SDS. There was the 10-foot plasma-guided rocket, aerodynamic farings for two bicycles, and even a life-size remote control and motion base. But surely not everything can be so exciting?

Today I'll tell you about some of the most mundane things I saw at the SDS. Despite their pedestrian nature, each one is still a real-life problem solved by engineering students. With SCIENCE!

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 4"

UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 3

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:18:12 -0400

Melissa drives the RC car! (original)

We've already covered the 10-foot plasma-guided rocket and aerodynamic farings for two bicycles. What else did we see at the SDS?

Well, how about this life-size remote control and model car?

I've wanted to do this sort of thing with a model airplane forever. Shouldn't be too hard, I figured: just add a wireless camera, and build a cockpit-shaped box with big joysticks for the controls. Voila! Real flying action!

These guys went a step farther. They put some accelerometers on their car, then hooked the whole thing to a custom-made motion base!

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 3"

UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 2

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:08:29 -0400

Melissa tries the trike (full)

Let's see more pictures from the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science Annual Senior Design Symposium on Renewable and Sustainable Energy -- which is so difficult to type that I shall call it the SDS from now on. Check out the 10-foot rocket from part 1!

Today, we've got two groups of seniors with aerodynamic farings for human-powered vehicles.

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 2"

UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 1

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:59:47 -0400

Melissa by the 10-foot tall rocket (full)

A week or so ago, I went to the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science Annual Senior Design Symposium on Renewable and Sustainable Energy (say that ten times fast!). As it was held just before my daughter's birthday, I offered to take her with me. She was excited to go, and so we both played hooky for the day.

This wasn't the first time for either of us: I've attended all four years, and she went with me last year. We both enjoy talking with the engineers and looking at the projects, so we skipped the lectures this year and just checked out the presentations.

And took pictures!

There are too many pictures for a single post, so I'll split them up a little. (This has nothing whatsoever to do with me trying to provide more content for my webpage, no, not at all. What a crass suggestion.)

First up: a ten-foot tall plasma-guided rocket!

Continue reading "UCF Senior Design Symposium 2012, Part 1"

Unsigned Subtraction in Old C++ Code

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:05:42 -0400

I'm porting some old C++ code to Java. How old? So old that it doesn't just assume a long is 32 bits, it actually checks to make sure and bails if not. That's 1997 or so, by my guess.

I can already hear the programmers in the audience asking, "Why not just interface with the library using JNI?" We decided to port the code because we must support Unix and 64-bit environments, and the library specifically fails on all our Unix machines. We do have the source, so we could modify it... but then we'd be forced to deliver and maintain it, which carries its own set of headaches. So I'm working on 20,000 SLOC.

(Anybody wondered why the site has been so quiet for so long? It's because I'm porting 20,000 SLOC of OLD C++ to Java.)

Most of the code has been pretty straightforward. There have been the usual problems with C++ unsigned types, which don't have any corresponding Java type, as well as a bit of pointer arithmetic confusion. When I get confused, I just write a quick test program and make sure the C++ does what I expect.

The thing that blew my mind today was the weird use of the "magic number" 0x80000000.

Continue reading "Unsigned Subtraction in Old C++ Code"

Using SSL in Java, Part 2

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:15:39 -0500

In part 1, I explained how key-based SSL authentication works. In part 2, I intend to explain how to implement a certificate authorized SSL connection in Java.

If you haven't read part 1 yet, you might want to check it out. I'll still be here when you get back.

Continue reading "Using SSL in Java, Part 2"

Using SSL in Java, Part 1

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:43 -0500

Working (as I do) with secure equipment, it was inevitable that I'd eventually have to connect to a server using SSL. I didn't even get to write my own code; I had to use a Java client library that was provided to me.

The programmers of my client library weren't exactly forthcoming on where I could change its configuration, but at least they had provided me with the certificates I needed. I had to do a lot of research to find out how to use them, and I'm recording that information here.

After all, isn't learning supposed to be cooperative? Read on, and I'll show you how to work with SSL sockets in Java.

Continue reading "Using SSL in Java, Part 1"

Monocular Depth Perception

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:48:26 -0500

I was thinking about the depth perception techniques we use for automated vehicles. The one that one the DARPA Grand Challenge used a laser rangefinder, as well as a camera; many of the contestants used lasers, radar, or a combination of the two.

It's generally well-known that human depth perception is provided by two eyes at an offset (binocular vision). There was one Grand Challenge car that used two cameras as its sole sensing equipment; I liked that solution, not only because of its simplicity, but because it modeled human vision. (They finished second, as I recall.)

However, wouldn't it be simpler to do it with a single camera?

Continue reading "Monocular Depth Perception"

Ace Plumbing in Kissimmee is Horrible

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:37:35 -0500

We recently clogged our kitchen sink. We just put too much stuff down the disposal, I think.

I bought a snake, disassembled the drain, and went to work. It was DISGUSTING! About 10 feet in, I found a clog, and managed to do a little something... but not enough. It wouldn't drain.

I tried using the CLR compressed-air kit. It blew a bunch of water out the roof air vent. Very impressive, but not helpful.

I used an entire bottle of Draino gel. It sat overnight, but the water didn't move.

We called a plumber recommended by a friend: Ace Plumbing in Kissimmee. They were HORRIBLE. They charged $80 to come give us an estimate -- that should have been our first clue that something was wrong, since the guy just opened up his notebook and quoted a fixed price directly from it. Oh, and it costs $750 for Ace Plumbing to snake your kitchen drain!

We later found out Lowe's will do it for $150. But it's hard to make this kind of comparison when you've already paid $80 just for the guy to show up, and then he's standing there waiting for you to make a decision.

He also broke the seal on the kitchen sink drain, then claimed that I had caused the damage when I added the Draino. He further claimed that the seal couldn't be purchased separately, and quoted $150 to replace the drain.

We found the seal later for $15 at Ace Hardware in Oviedo -- a fine institution, which has been helpful to me many times in the past. Despite the name similarity, they have no relation to the nefarious organization that I mistakenly hired.

I'm considering whether there's some way I can retrieve the lost $600. Could I claim fraud in small claims court? Probably not: I hired him and signed the receipt without comparison shopping. Sigh.

I still feel like I've been ripped off. I'm never using them again.

Christmas Report

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:39:35 -0500

Christmas was interesting as usual at my house. I played Santa again, and that means I got to ride the fire truck! I ran out of candy a little early this year, but I think we made up for it at the "Sit on Santa's Knee" event.

Luckily, that was before I caught the cold. That laid me out for a week, even though I was treating it aggressively. I probably caught it from Melissa; however, the doctor said she had a sinus infection, which shouldn't be contagious.

Eri got me a bicycle fender rack and saddlebags! I can start riding to work AND bring a lunch! That should help me get fit, along with tracking my intake on myFitnessPal.

I still haven't published my first app. I'm sidetracked trying to make money on oDesk. Thus far, I'm not impressed: it's a lot of work for very little reward. Still, it's spending cash.

It wasn't enough to keep us out of the hole, though. Christmas and Hanukkah used up all our cash, and now we're limping along, paycheck to paycheck.

Well, time to go wake the youngest. It's her first day back at school after the break. Here's hoping it's a good one!

Silly After-Hours Clinic

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:46:45 -0500

My daughter tripped yesterday while running down the driveway; she scraped up her knee really badly, ripped open a big flap of skin on her foot, and scraped her elbows and hip.

I figured we'd be heading to the after-hours clinic, and I was right. They referred us directly to the emergency room, saying they weren't confident in stitching up the flap because it wasn't straight, and they didn't want to check for tendon damage.

I don't know why we even have an after-hours clinic.

The emergency room was empty, so we were admitted immediately. It took an hour or so to get to us, though. Since it was too painful to stand on, they x-rayed the knee and foot.

Nothing. In fact, when the doctor came to look at it, she asked, "Did they see something I'm not seeing?" We should've cleaned it out ourselves; nothing was done that we couldn't have done just as well at home.

Except the x-ray. It is nice to know that there are no internal injuries.

Continue reading "Silly After-Hours Clinic"

Climbing Up

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:42:00 -0500

Yesterday my wife took the bike to a nearby bike shop and fixed the flat. Since the wheels were dry-rotted, she also got a new tire... but only for the flat back wheel.

Everything else was really expensive, so no rack, no saddlebags, and no bike carrier for the car. I'm stuck with my laptop bag until further notice.

BUT! Today I got to work in under 30 minutes, with no significant pain. And then I did it again on the way home!

I'm starting to think a decent bike might be a good investment. It is Christmas time; maybe Goodwill or a pawn shop will have something. Then again, maybe I should leave that for some kid who wants it more.

Biking again tomorrow. We'll see how it goes!

Rock Bottom?

judebert@judebert.com (Judebert) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:09:00 -0500

Remember how I said I'm climbing down the vehicle prestige ladder? Well, I think I've just hit the bottom. My bike got a flat.

Of course, I have no repair kit. This bike is more than 20 years old; the steel wheels are RUSTING. I have no desire to spend money on fancy bits like an attached repair kit. On that note, it has neither rack nor saddlebags; I have to carry my change of clothes in a laptop bag, and it only barely fits. There's no space for a repair kit.

I have no idea how I'm going to get to work the next time my daughter needs the car. What's below "beat-up pink female bicycle" on the vehicle prestige ladder? Roller skates?

Unicycle?