DELab update for MatLab 7

Download DELab.zip (MatLab 7 Compatible) 

DELab is a GUI-based front end to M ATLAB that implements the analytic, graphical, and numerical tools used in the text Differential Equations: Modeling with MATLAB, Prentice Hall, 1999. Main Website

Save either file to a convenient directory (e.g., matlabr11/work/delab), unzip or unpack ("tar xf delab.tar") the file, add that directory to your MATLAB path using either the addpath command (type "help addpath" in the MATLAB command window) or the Path Browser (choose File/Set Path... from the MATLAB menu bar), and type "delab" in the MATLAB command window to start DELab.

DELab requires MATLAB 5.3 (Release 11) or higher.
Please send questions, comments or suggestions to Paul Davis at pwdavis@wpi.edu; put "DELab" in the subject line.

DELab is copyright 1999, 2000 by Paul Davis. It is for non-profit educational use only.

G1 USB Unable to Mount

I was having a problem whereby when I plugged my G1 into my Vista machine, it would not mount so I could not retrieve files or download pictures. I found this useful walkthrough which fixed the problem. Basically the problem is that the computer is mounting the device as an HTC dream as opposed to USB storage. Original Post here:

Finally, I got it work on my vista ultimate.

Here is what I do, hope it can help.

1. Just as lots of people mentioned, I did not see removable disk showing in Explorer after I connect G1 to computer. Even I tried mount on the phone, it still doesn't work.

2. Then I go to Device Manager, I don't even see any USB Mass Storage Device at all un Unversal Serial Bus controllers.

3. Because I know the device is connected, I decide to expand all the devices. Immediately, I notice there is a device called HTC dream.

4. We all know G1 is HTC and but it is recognized as HTC dream device rather than USB Mass Storage Device.

5. Now let's change it back to USB Mass Storage Device.

6. Right-Click on the device (HTC dream), select Update Driver Software (it is the first menu item).

7. Do not search automatically, click the second one (Browse my computer for driver software).

8. In next pare, choose Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.

9. Now you will see two drivers are listed (select check box for Show compatible hardware)

10. Select USB Mass Storage Device and click Next.

11. After installing, now removable disk is shown in explorer.

12. When try to open the disk, it will ask you "Please insert a disk into Removable Disk".

13. Back to you phone, from notification bar, mount you sd from USB connected.

14. You can open to browse you SD card from your computer.

Asteroid Tumbling Normalization with Momentum Wheel

Abstract:
The complexity behind landing on an asteroid surface and taking scientific measurements is increased when the spin profile of the asteroid is not about the principal axis of inertia. Tumbling asteroids present unique challenges to landing craft which can be alleviated through use of a momentum wheel. As a precursor to the main science mission, a simple spacecraft containing a momentum wheel would be secured to the asteroid. Over time, the angular momentum of the asteroid would transfer from the minor inertial axis to the major axis. This would greatly decrease the risk of the following science mission and would also provide for simplified thrusting along the principal axis if orbit modification or deflection of the asteroid was required.

How to Update Civ4 MAC and PC

Problem Statement:

Civilization 4 Beyond the Sword is a game that many of us know and love. However, Firaxis & 2K Games capability to distribute and communicate how to patch these games is limited. My finacee and I tried updating her MAC using the ingame tool only to find that they had downloaded a .EXE file (comical laugh). When I tried to upgrade from my 3.03 PC version using the ingame tool it downloaded and then promptly did, nothing at all. Here is a walkthrough which will allow you to update to the most recent patch level manually, and avoid the two hours of frustration that we experienced.

Problem Solution:

Patch Civ4 for PC

Open Civ4 Beyond the Sword and select Advanced / About This Build. They list the Civ Version number without periods so if you have build 303 that means you are patched up to 3.03. Once you know which patch level you are currently at, download each patch above that and install sequentially from the Firaxis website. That is to day, if you are at 3.03, you need to download and install patches in this order: 3.13, 3.17, and finally 3.19.

Patch Civ4 for MAC

(I think the MAC version was initially released at 3.17 so you need to upgrade to 3.19 and beyond but you don't have to start as low as 3.03.) Follow the instructions for Civ4 for PC but you need different patch files (.exe files don't play well with MACs). One site you can download your files from is Atomic Gamer:

Patch 3.19 Mac - Atomic Gamer

Final Comments:

Please comment with any updated links to MAC and PC patch content. And as always, before you download something from the internet, make sure it is coming from a trusted source.

Here Kitty Kitty!

Mine liebe katze, sufera de matze, matze a pleznit, katze a murit.

(My dear cat, suffers from her intestines, her intestines burst, the cat died)

Harvesting the Sun

I just finished reading through an article about manure on NY times (see more here), and it got me thinking. With mankind's ability to streamline production of everything from Milk to Power, we have surpassed the stage of simply harvesting resources and building all we can with them. Yesteryear we afforded ourselves the luxury of not worrying about how our resources would renew themselves or how we would deal with the resulting garbage from our every day operations. Yet as we product and consume resources at an ever increasing rate, the question of what to do with all the leftovers from our operations becomes more pressing.

So far we have become very industrious at making the world into our image, a one way street where we find resources, build factories to harvest them, bring goods to market and move on to the next resource. This bold forward arrow to progress is being tempered by the realization that if we do not renew our resources and tie up all the loose ends of the production process, we are limiting our future growth. A fancy way to say we are degrading our environment, the very place we live and call home.

The cycle they described in the article above I found intriguing, if not practical. Manure from the dairy cows was used to fertilize the fields that grew their feed. They ate the feed to give them sustenance and produce milk, which we use. The sun makes it all work by growing the grass. And that is where I get to our title for this post.

The image I have in my head is of people who survive by harvesting the energy given off by the Sun. All our oil (old forests grown in sunlight millions of years ago), milk (cows <- grass <- sun), fresh water (evaporated by the sun) all work because of the feint wisps of power that make their journey from the Sun to our home impart to all the beings here an enormous amount of energy. As human beings we are seeking the best and most efficient way to harvest that energy, wether it be through vast tracts of grain and grazing land to feed cattle or thin film solar energy. I think in some way that makes us children of the Sun.

The children of the Sun Harvest the Sun to survive. How fitting.

Finding the New California

Recent surveys of the moon by the LCROSS revealed a good probability that ice does exist at the poles of the moon. Finding critical resources in space can propel our exploration visions forward, but have we really found White Gold?

When we first began cononizing the north american continent we had no idea what treasures and wonders could be found by traveling west. It was only after a long laborious trip west that we discovered california and the bounty that it could provide. We have a lucious firtile land here that provides fruits and food to feed the nation year round.

In the same grain I believe we need to find our california in space, which will allow us to extend our tenuous tendrils into the vacuum and build sustained outposts. Since space exploration is so difficult and expensive, we need to find an area rich with resources that we can exploit to really begin expanding our investments.

There are two ways that I see we can find resources close to home. Survey the moon till we find the best composition of resources for our needs or survey asteroids and then move them into an orbit that is close enough for us to reach atleast as easily as the moon.