Archive for February, 2008

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D: -60 days and counting


29 Feb

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I have officially applied for my degree to be completed this spring semester!  Sounds great right?  Wrong.  I have 60 days (not even really) to finish my project and have the thesis defended.  Here is my approximate timeline:

  • February 29th:  Project coding complete
  • March 14th:  Models generated for case study
  • March 21st:  First draft of Thesis
  • April 7th:  Tentative Final draft
  • April 14th:  Submit Thesis to Committee
  • April 28th:  Defend!

There is only a short list of things to do between now and then… problem is the short list is a lot of work.  I need to finalize my code and generate a successful model.  Then I need to make a components database and generate 4 different models to do a case study to see how my code works.  The components database will be the hardest thing to do (I haven’t even finalized the one for the AUV that actually exists, though I’m going to try to do that today).

I have mixed feelings about this whole thing.  My to-do list is so short I feel like I should be able to just knock it out in a week (say, over spring break which is what I’m shooting for) BUT experience tells me that I’m going to run into a lot of problems.  I just can’t seem to make myself face it.  Dr. Neu doesn’t seem to think that I can do it in this short amount of time… and that may give me the motivation I need to do it…

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I should’ve thought of that…


06 Feb

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I’m fairly far into the coding of my thesis project… but today I figured out a much faster/efficient way to import data. Before I had 4 Component databases and 4 Configuration files… and I had a LOT of information passing between functions (that wasn’t necessary, cause the data wasn’t changing from the files). So I decided it’d be better for me to have 1 Component database and 1 Configuration file… with the configuration file being separated into 4 areas.

Now the functions import both, and only pull the information they need out of the component database. DUH. This actually lets me get rid of 2 entire functions (whose sole purpose was to import ALL the data for that configuration type and pass it into other functions). I always thought those two functions were a waste… and they were. I just wasn’t smart enough to go that one extra step.

The timeline I outlined a post or two ago is pretty intimidating to me, because this might happen a couple more times where I have to go back and rewrite entire sections. I feel like I’m not going to have anything good to show Dr. Neu this week. I need to get the resistance code comparison done.

I did populate some of the major parts of the component database today (went into lab and took all the measurements).

Thursday I’ll probably make a vidcast that has a 2 minute overview of what my thesis is about, so look forward to that.

In Seminar


04 Feb

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I’m in my required seminar now, writing this post on my iPhone. Space stuff used to really interest me, and still does to certain extents, but I just dont want to be here. Space weather is fairly interesting and i think it wpuld be a serious threat to our country. Mondays I gave 3 straight hours of classes from 4-7pm… Right over dinner time. It sucks.

The super bowl yesterday was probably the best one I can remember, especially since the giants won over the patriots.

Friday Chris and I went downtown, and ran into Joe (my future roommate) and his sister. We played some pool then went to PKs to play photo hunt. It is a surprisingly addictive game.

I have to finish my masters degree by early June in order for my transcripts to get to my job on time. Scary stuff. Tomorrow I am going to make the component database and start running the synthesis model. I’ve done a lot of the coding necessary and should have the bugs worked put by the end of February. Once that’s done I can write my thesis in March, and if everything goes really well I could defend in April, be done in may, and have a month off. Writing 100 pages and revising/editing in a month would be pretty nasty work, but my topic is pretty interesting. Hopefully my project OCD will kick in.

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