Project "Clu"

This is a follow-up post on coupled oscillators. In this video...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:34:19 -0400

This is a follow-up post on coupled oscillators.

In this video (2 mass-spring system equivalent) the low frequency and high frequency normal modes are shown.

The way to achieve these frequencies is by varying the tension in the string supporting the table that the metronomes are on.

By increasing the tension [by moving the supporting blocks further away], the high frequency normal mode was set up.

In contrast, lowering the tension [by moving the supporting blocks closer], the low frequency normal mode was set up.

Very simply, yet revealing about coupled oscillators!

One of the videos that Prof. Wyslouch (in 8.03: Waves and...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:30:00 -0400

One of the videos that Prof. Wyslouch (in 8.03: Waves and Vibrations) recommended us to watch, on the topic of coupled oscillators.

Few things in the video:

Each member of the back row is in sync first

Then the consequent row and so on.

Once in sync, the row can be seen as just one oscillator whose motion can be described by Simple Harmonic Motion, and the the row moves the table uniformly (characteristic of low frequency normal mode)

The fact that the system is at low frequency normal mode is obvious [the uniform motion]. How they [people of the Ikeguchi Lab] managed to set up low frequency normal mode is NOT.

I believe the secret lies in the table that is holding the metronomes. The table has just the right ‘spring’ coefficient that gives the characteristic normal mode frequency [Note that the table isn’t literally a spring, nor is there any spring among the metronomes]. If they were to use the same table, with the configuration of the legs of the table differently, the same motion would be hard to duplicate.

I wonder how long it took them to get the table in the right configuration.

The next post is also related but more revealing of what the movable table is doing.

Projects Waiting For Me

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:12:08 -0400

I. CourseMap — Venturing through the world of web programming this summer, I’ve come to realize that there is still much to be learnt and I need to push myself to make progress for contribution to CourseMap

(6.170 or maybe 21W.785, again)

II. ISA Blog — Making a blog from scratch takes work, and I’m considering using

some standard framework (like Bootstrap used by Twitter), with jQuery, with Django of course.

But I’m wondering, what would be a good use of a database system for International Students Funding Blog (i.e. why would I want a database backend for this purpose anyway?? Why does my site have to be interactive at all) — this is actually something that someone who first introduced Django to me (Jordan on 5W): “Why do you need to use a backend?”

Now it makes much more sense to know why he was asking that question — so thank you Jordan from future me. (at the time, I was confused as to why such a question was even relevant — but I’ve learnt my lesson)

III. Electronics Research — take a lab class 6.070

Go to MITERS!!

Tools for Python/Scripting/Web Programming

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:32:00 -0400

Python-based Programming

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Fable — useful for local development

VirtualEnv — writing bash commands (scripts that are run when prompted)

PIP — installing all components of the application

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Web Programming/ Database Management

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Django — python-based framework for building websites

South Migration — essential for schema/data migration

GitHub (or Git) — very important for code sharing

jQuery (or reliable JavaScript) — needs mastering

Apache setting with Django (DEFINITELY NEEDS MORE WORK)

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Distributed Systems Network

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SSH-ing — secure connection protocols

Athena/Kerberos — distributed system framework, SIPB play for understanding

Learning how to use Linux

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Important Concepts in Programming

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PCAP Principle (primitive, combination, abstraction, pattern)

Modularity/Abstraction/Modeling

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Improvements to be made

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Familiarity with the tools metioned

Cleaner/Better Coding System

More Practice! (Earlier the better, the more the merrier!)

Tools of the Modern Python Hacker: Virtualenv, Fabric and Pip - electronic.habitat : alex.clemesha (Link provided by Stefan Fox)

오빤 강남 스타일~ oppan gangnam style~

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:23:50 -0400

오빤 강남 스타일~

oppan gangnam style~

Some Random Ideas

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:34:58 -0400

Haven’t checked tumblr in a while… (my computer was broken, quite frankly)

so much for the excuses.

I was thinking about what would be sort of a cool start-up idea.

1. how about creating a program/online social media that translates video into letters. (poor description)

Think of it as having a transcript of what you are saying in the video, except, you don’t need the transcript before you say it.

First of all, you can look at the letter and watch the video at the same time, thus enhancing the impact of your message. Thus you can retain the special feeling that you get when you receive an e-mail/written letter.

This idea has its competitive edge but isn’t certainly big enough to actually compete against the entire social hub i.e. facebook. But it is a feature that I wish could be seen. E-mail itself is an evolution, but I certainly believe it could be bettered.

2. So I recently played this game called manito (it’s a secret santa game) with Koreans at my school and realized that facebook notifications were getting out of hands because people were posting unwanted facebook posts in the Korean facebook group. I thought: why not create a separate account that everyone can post their appreciation/pictures of what they received from their santa without spamming notifications?
Trouble: I had to create an e-mail account, create a Facebook account, add everyone and what not. And that was for my school.
What if other people in that other school down the street wanted to play? They would need another account. What if all the universities wanted to play?
You can see the problem that multiple e-mail accounts need to be made (I tried to make duplicate accounts, it didn’t work) that wouldn’t be used otherwise. How about allowing the same account that I created: called Manito, and creating a sort of sub-account under Manito: as in Manito Harvard, Manito BU, Manito BC, and etc? so that only people in that group could see the sub-account but eliminating the need to create separate accounts? Just an idea.

Network beats Hierarchy

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:50:50 -0400

Network beats Hierarchy:

BBC article on the Murdoch Scandal.
An interesting article for the “Facebook generation”

EYEO Festival-- definitely something I'd like to attend in the future!!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:04:00 -0400

EYEO Festival-- definitely something I'd like to attend in the future!!:

possibly summer of 2012…

Here is a link to one of the apps presented in the festival this year: http://blog.bloom.io/2011/07/11/creating-new-worlds/

Absolutely remarkable!!

from Sparkfun.com

(EDIT —- As of August 10th, 2012 Did not Attend this session… Boo!!)

Do you want to be the next Tony Stark? CERN may have provided you the tools to do so.

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:55:00 -0400

Do you want to be the next Tony Stark? CERN may have provided you the tools to do so.:

It’s funny I’ve met a friend at MIT who wants to be the next Tony Stark — for real though

But still, Batman »»> Ironman

Cambridge Science Fair & MIT Media Lab Trip

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:25:00 -0400

Cambridge Science Fair & MIT Media Lab Trip:

Again from Sparkfun.com;

Hope to see and participate in some of these events in 2011-2012!!

(EDIT— August 10th, 2012) It’s amazing that I’m currently working at Media Lab!

I’ll work more towards visiting Hackerspace and pursuing the area of electronics (a.k.a. MITERS)

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to..."

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:56:56 -0400

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

AirHarp

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 11:51:00 -0400

AirHarp:

As a musician (bass guitar player), I am deeply impressed by this instrument and wish I could learn how to play!!

Also, the original article about AirHarp (from Sparkfun.com) talked about Theremin, which is the first electronic instrument that could be played without actually touching the instrument.

If you are interested in Theremin, here’s a Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin

(EDIT—August 10th, 2012) It’s a shame to look at this post and the bass guitar sitting in my dormroom in MacGregor~~

I need to step up my bass guitar swag

Tutorial Site: Using XBee with Arduino

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:04:30 -0400

Tutorial Site: Using XBee with Arduino:

A useful Point-to-Point wireless module: XBee!

A very nice tutorial that I’ve found on the web!

A really cool automated scanning robot done by JHU Center for Africana Studies

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:02:34 -0400

A really cool automated scanning robot done by JHU Center for Africana Studies:

As usual, a link from Sparkfun!!

Two of my favorite sites for checking out robotics project: Sparkfun.com; instructables.com

Google's ADK Hardware (based on Arduino)

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:29:00 -0400

Google's ADK Hardware (based on Arduino):

Hi!!!

This is a headline news that I found on Sparkfun!

Thought this link was worth sharing.

DKang

A Link to Rolling Robot Transformer

Tue, 24 May 2011 00:34:41 -0400

A Link to Rolling Robot Transformer:

I found this video on CNN and thought this project was quite interesting.

However, the sheer cost of this project (about $20,000, I need verification on this information) surprised me.

But still, enjoy!

College Admissions made me think...

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:47:00 -0400

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted!! (I wonder what I had been doing for the past month and a half :( )

My project hasn’t proceeded significantly (other than fixing some errors that occured when I turned the permanent rotation mode indefintiely) but I am preparing to present the Project Clu to the Independent Studies Committee at my school!

I will upload a powerpoint of it as soon as I am done with it. (of course, along with any other updates I have on the Project itself)

It has been quite a month this March and I persevered!

More updates to follow.

See you in April!

(EDIT—August 10th, 2012) I just realized that I haven’t uploaded this powerpoint to either this post or to the Independent Studies advisor at high school — I owe an apology

The Start of a New Era: Open-Source Electronics

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:40:21 -0500

The Start of a New Era: Open-Source Electronics:

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

True to the definition on the arduino.cc website, Arduino garnered worldwide recognition (at least from my perspective) for its versatility, adaptability, and accessibility. As I am using one of the products, Arduino Duemilanove, seeing my servo motor moving through open-source software programming fascinates me. Of course, there are downsides: the Arduino facilitates the job and significantly belies the complex issues involving an electronics project.

However, the accessibility and the versatility show record-breaking success of Arduino. And I believe this documentary on the creation, world-wide distribution, and a promising future of the Arduino explains why I am, my friends are, how Arduino-users are attracted to Arduino. (and also other high schools and universities that are planning to incoporate Arduino in their engineering, science, and even art curriculums)

Please check out the video (about half an hour long) !

Finally! January did prove to be a far more productive month...

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 02:24:15 -0500

Finally!

January did prove to be a far more productive month than before!

Although still quite rudimentary, controlling only one servo, I cannot be happier that my AX-12 is working with the Arduino Duemilanove!

Some major issues that I faced while on the way to make it work

1. Communication issues: Arduino cannot fully execute serial communication at 1Mbps, although the ATmel 328 microcontroller could. Therefore, I did not use the Arduino library but rather used AX-12 library, which is a modification of Arbotix library, and used the hardware parts of the Arduino to communicate with the AX-12.

2. Serial Port limitation: Another issue was with the serial port. Since Duemilanove had only one serial port (unlike the Mega which has four serial ports,) the Arduino hardware could not communicate with the computer and the AX-12 simultaneously. Although there exists other libraries in which other serial devices (such as Xbee, which I am planning to incorporate) could be used in other digital pins, both the AX-12 and the computer USB port MUST use the same serial port that is given in the Arduino.

Therefore, I must disconnect AX-12 while uploading sketch (program) onto the board and then disconnect the USB port while the motors move. Quite burdensome, but worth the $64.95 + shipping that I would have to pay for if I were to buy Mega.

Nevertheless, with some internet research and nearly two months of frustration, “veni, vidi, vici!”

2010. 12 Photos of Arduino meshed with AX-12. Behind schedule as...

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:37:11 -0500

Really Inconvenient Wiring Using Arduino

My hands cannot hold the camera still.

Need more work for half-duplex

74HC126 and 74HC04 for half-duplex...

2010. 12

Photos of Arduino meshed with AX-12.

Behind schedule as to updating photos and working on the project.

Hopefully, January of the New Year will prove to be more fruitful than the fall term.