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Reisman said he left NASA because he wanted to have an impact on the future of space flight

Wed Nov 17 04:51:18 CET 2010   Clay?

Just came across something interesting a couple of days ago, a new programming language that has features of scripting languages but performance of compiled languages. It compiles into llvm, so it can be run pretty much anywhere.

thread about it on reddit
project page

I suppose we have llvm to thank for this, so thanks llvm :)

Sat Sep 4 21:26:50 CEST 2010   Modular game client

Writing a game client that is modular in the sense that it is distributed over several processed running on the same machine. One will handle rendering, one will handle game state, game logic and communication with the server. The idea is to have the ability to attach multiple renderers, possibly scattered across multiple machines. Also, later, there is possibility for writing game logic in other languages (Python for example) that resides in separate processes.

Haven't gotten very far yet..

Fri Jun 4 21:05:31 CEST 2010   Grats SpaceX!

Successful Falcon 9 launch today :)

Mon Mar 8 23:02:43 CET 2010   Human breeding

To take over evolution where natural selection has become obsolete, we should begin a breeding program for humans, to advance evolution of traits considered to be favorable. A test should be designed that quantifies the full range of desired qualities, and entire populations should be prepared for and subjected to said tests.

Individuals who score below average should be encouraged to use assisted reproduction, with the rationale that it will reduce the risk of their offspring becoming losers in a future where average ability levels are higher than they are today. Individuals who score above a certain limit, for example the top 5%, should be encouraged to donate reproductive cells. The remaining individuals should be encouraged to reproduce normally, to maintain biological diversity.

Sat Nov 14 00:04:03 CET 2009   Congratulations LCROSS!

For finding water on the moon. This monumental discovery will pave the way for extensive human activity on the moon and in our solar system in the next few decades and onwards. Such is my prediction.

Thu Oct 1 13:33:34 CEST 2009   The volatile keyword

excerpt from http://lwn.net/Articles/233482/:
So the only thing "volatile" is potentially useful for is:

- actual accessor functions can use it in a _cast_ to make one particular access follow the rules of "don't cache this one dereference". That is useful as part of a _bigger_ set of rules about that access (i.e., it might be the internal implementation of a "readb()", for example).

So what Randy is saying is that if I want to use volatile to enforce consistency in a lockless shared buffer, I should mark the accessor functions volatile, not the variables themselves.

Sun Sep 13 21:54:26 CEST 2009   Armadillo Aerospace @ NGLLC

Videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsVbl34HIws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5UPpRA66Zo

Armadillo Aerospace succeeded at level 2 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. If no other teams manage to beat them (which seems unlikely but not entirely unthinkable), they win 1 M USD.

Update: Masten Space Systems beat them at the finish line, by completing level 2 with a better landing accuracy than AA.

Mon Aug 31 20:51:23 CEST 2009   Assembly is fun

Currently done(unless there are serious bugs) implementing a boot loader in assembly. Tested it in bochs. Debugging was troublesome, but luckily my code didn't have a lot of bugs. The size of the program certainly contributed to that quality.

Later on, my group mate and I will implement the kernel and then finally some programs to run under that kernel. Most will be in C/C++ of course, but there will no doubt be lots more assembly coding.

Fri Jul 3 18:22:17 CEST 2009   Latest happenings

Today I replaced the PSU on this box here, that this website is hosted from, henceforth referred to as 'wofl'. You probably have not noticed, but it's been down for a few days, and that was caused by a kaputski power supply from Q-TEC.

On wednesday I ordered a new PSU for wofl. A 400 watt unit from Corsair, that according to specs and reviews is a unit of high quality. Earlier on wednesday I discovered the PSU on wofl was broken.

On tuesday I got home from vacation in Lofoten, and discovered to my great dismay that wofl was offline.

On monday I went on a sea eagle safari outside Henningsvær with some relatives. The guide threw frozen fish into the sea, the eagle appeared, and the sea gulls performed flyby attacks on the eagle from behind. Fun for all involved. I may have some photos of that in a few days.

On sunday I got home from nachspiel.

On saturday I went hiking in the mountains on Vestvågøy in Lofoten with most of my family on my father's side, and a bunch of relatives farther out on my father's mother's side. Later that day, a few cousins and I went out and experienced some of the local culture.

On friday I met a lot of relatives I didn't know I had. As it turns out, a lot of those around my age, live in my area (Follo). A girl in Drøbak, two guys in Vestby, and a younger fellow in Aurskog. Then there were two other girls who live in Telemark, which is a bit farther away but still much closer than Lofoten. One of the guys from Vestby has even gone to the same school as me, at the same time as me. It's a big school though, so it's not suprsising we didn't recognize each other.

On thursday I met another relative I didn't know I had, but he's on my father's father's side and a bit farther off than those I met on friday. He lives and works in/near Trondheim, runs a shop with the same name as my last name, Overaae, which is a fairly uncommon spelling of a very uncommon name. We happened upon his shop by accident while looking for a camp cooker and socks. He was very hospitable and we talked for quite a while, and before he sent us off he gave us caps and t-shirts with his company logo (and thus our family name) on them. Very cool :)

Wed Apr 22 01:00:09 CEST 2009   JOBS

Lost jobs is just another term for available resources. Workforce is a resource. Freeing up more of that resource allows more stuff to get done. In a perfect world, everyone would strive to achieve as much as possible with as little effort as possible, and to keep everyone occupied doing what is most efficient/necessary/useful at any given time and thus maximize total achievement.

1234567890   EPOCH

Posting on an epic moment in UNIX history.
The time is now 1234567890.

Fri Feb 13 01:06:10 CET 2009   ROBOT

I'm going to build a robot, I just need to be able to afford the parts. It will probably be pneumatic, weigh about 20 to 30 kg, and be about the size of a dog. It will have four legs, since that's simplest.

I have researched parts and looked at alternatives, and it seems Bosch Rexroth can supply the cylinders I need at the best price and that ELFA can supply the valves I need at the best price. I'm looking at 8 cylinders and 8 valves. The valves will be 5/2 way valves to control the cylinders in both directions, and the cylinders will be dual action cylinders with diameter 32 mm and stroke 100 mm for the upper leg sections and 160 mm for the lower leg sections. The nominal extend/retract forces of those cylinders are listed as between 400 and 500 N, which means about 40 to 50 kg. Taking leverage into account, the actual strength of each leg should be roughly 150 to 300 N (15 to 30 kg). I think this is needed, because I want the robot to be able to climb steep/rough terrain and carry fairly heavy loads.

The valves and cylinders don't weigh much. Each valve is about 140 g, each cylinder about 370 g. There will be some added weight because of the legs and body of the robot, but the majority of the estimated 20 to 30 kg are the power generator at 9 kg (2kW gasoline powered electric generator) and the compressor at 10 kg (1 kW, 8 bars and 116 l/min).

Basic math tells us we're easily going to exceed 30 kg on this robot, so when I say 20-30 kg I actually mean 30+ unless I opt for a lighter power solution. A gasoline powered water pump would provide the same power at only 6 kg, but at a lower pressure. Hydraulics is more complicated as well (more plumbing), and I would need a reservoir for hydraulic fluid. To make the robot strong enough I would need to either modify the water pump (not a challenge I welcome) for increased pressure or install pressure boosters (I don't know where to get them, how expensive they would be or what performance they would give). I would also need a battery for the control computer and valves. Another advantage of going electrical is I can hook up other stuff too, like headlights, waffle iron, electric drill, etc. A concern is of course the initial current drawn from the compressor. Since the compressor is 1 kW it could blow the fuse on the generator, which is rated at a peak output of 2.2 kW.

A third option is to go all-battery. I could then get a smaller compressor (4.5 kg, 50 W electrical, around 3 bars pressure) and some batteries (I guess car batteries). The bot would be lighter and probably cheaper but considerably weaker. I don't want a puny little tincan, I want a strong and fearsome bucket.

Total price tag for all the parts looks like about 20k NOK (2.2k EUR).

Thu Dec 11 05:36:07 CET 2008  EXAM

INF2100 completed, RUS1100 exam is today. After that, to get a job. The job market got a little tight since this summer, but I still think it should be possible to get a job, given my qualifications.

Wed Sep 17 22:25:33 CEST 2008   RECESSION

Wohoo, economic collapse!

A great opportunity to get rich(er) quick(er)..

Thu Apr 10 13:56:08 CEST 2008   RANT

I've decided that the old custom of carefully neglecting to mention anything about anything that is too advanced to explain, is inherently stupid.

Not only because you construct a limited fantasy universe for your student that you later have to tear down to introduce new information, which makes it harder for the student to learn new things later, but because you also limit the student's imagination and ability to plan strategically for the future, since you pretend there is nothing more to learn, nothing more to explore, and even if you admit there is more, you don't say what it is, so the student can't really try to figure it out on their own.

Tue Mar 11 23:27:42 CET 2008   CRY

I still hate it.

Tue Mar 11 01:12:41 CET 2008   WHINE

I hate relational algebra, database normalization, and SQL.

Wed Mar 5 21:40:35 CET 2008   ANGST

I'm increasingly having trouble concentrating on what I want to concentrate on (project wish), and not just what I need to concentrate on (homework assignments). I don't play much games anymore and I never had a social life, so I have plenty of time to spend on useful stuff, the problem is just that I can't make myself do it. So I surf the web. Then I keep revisiting the same old pages repeatedly several times per day, hoping there will be something interesting to read. There usually isn't, so I read something uninteresting instead. It holds off boredom and keeps my attention until I get hungry/tired/distracted. IRC is the usual distraction. Long enough to prevent me from doing something useful that day. Hence the angst.