Cranky. Old. Man?

My simulation is working within the correct bounds, and unless I'm missing something fundamental, that means it works! I'm writing the report now, and cringing a bit at the report I wrote for the last one (admittedly, it sounds a little like someone who hadn't slept for a weekend... ha ha funny considering THAT IS WHAT I DID FOR THE LAST SIM) and this makes me happy. I've thankfully got no classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I've basically sat my ass down in a lab to just write this. Considering that this is how I write all my most brilliant papers (I had a funny conversation with a professor once where he said, "this must have taken you a week to write!" "Um... yeah sure believe that.") I should be able to get this done by tonight.

Which is great considering I sort of haven't looked at my thermo homework yet. And thank god the aerodynamics assignment isn't due until Monday.

I learned mostly to make sure my program is pulling out the data I needed as I was programming it. Considering there are people in the class talking yesterday who hadn't even started programming I am clearly with the not completely fucked crowd. And people apparently are using EXCEL for a lot of their charts, what the hell. I guess I'm actually a pretty decent programmer, even if how I write my code sometimes gives my Sidekick fits (it's organized how I think! which is admittedly a little scattered, but it's organized!).

Only one more function to make, which is the one that pulls out all the data I need for the table. No going through columns of data THIS time. And is it wrong that I find my algorithm for plotting everything slightly awesome? I mean, I've got four test cases AND two tire models and somehow I got all the data on the charts they need to be. INTENSE.

Plus I actually got 9 hours of sleep last night! WHOA.

When I'm all done maybe I'll put up the report and show ya'll. And then translate it. It's good practice for stuff I do at work, so. If I can't explain it in normal terms, well, then I fail at work! So it's a good exercise.

I really really love this class, even if the last simulation was awful. But it was more me being sick and a little lost than anything. Handling is so ROCKIN' and closer to the types of dynamics I'm used to. We even use the same variable name for yaw (turning left or right in a vehicle, that's yaw) and I got to make a comment about that in class (because it's r, which you'd think they'd use for roll, but I don't question that shit).

I wish I could convey exactly how elegant rigid body dynamics is. There's really a lot of physics and mathematics harmony in there which is AMAZING. I mean, I can even sort of like derivations in this subject (and I hate derivations... derivations can kiss my ass).

How such complex systems can actually work so simply just... it's why I'm in this for more than a paycheck later in life, yanno? God, I just hope whatever senior design group I get next semester isn't full of jerks and lets me handle the dynamics part. I know this stuff. If I could I'd take like a bajillion more classes in this.

Ha ha, now that I understand a bit more about tires and stuff, I could do a better job with my skateboard/hoverboard analysis. I think I want to do that anyway, if I have free time.

Also, I think I need to go see Prof California and thank him from recommending Prof Dragster to me. I think him reccing this really does sort of make me a favorite. XD And one of the Slackers said he mentioned my hoverboard project in his class recently! I'm kind of touched! If only aerodynamics were as full of love...

So, funny thing today: Prof Cock (I am just going to shorten the nickname even further there) went on a rant today about not wanting to "support mediocrity" and such because apparently people are missing class and asking him for the homework (hey, I did that once, since he emailed me FIRST, but after that I find it on my own, I'm not wholly without a sense of survival). He went on and on about how he wants engineers from this university to go on and being actual designers instead of bolt counters--blah blah ad nauseum. What cracked me up though is he totally pulled my Sidekick out as an example (without using his name) of this "mediocrity".

The same Sidekick who is waiting on his security paperwork so he can go work as a NERD SPY (there's a reason they call it Intelligence, not just to be ironic), basically. Oh Prof Cock, no wonder you hate us. I'll bet you he's really jealous of those people that start businesses without going to college in the first place.

It never fails to completely and utterly bemuse me when he gets off on rants like this, because not only does he tend to like, suddenly waste 20 mins of class (which he should be teaching) but he gets high and mighty over really stupid shit like someone asking to take lab with another section because they're not going to be there for theirs (hell, in Sidekick's case, he gave him a month's notice and offered to turn in the lab report the exact same time it's usually due which actually gave him less time to do it, not more). Or missing a couple of homeworks due to showing up, say, five minutes late to class (I keep having to ask questions after class in thermo, it's why I'm late, having ten minutes between my two really fucking annoying classes does not make me happy!).

Honestly, check your patronizing at the door and just teach already. If I weren't like, seven classes from graduating I might be inclined to offer more resistence to this guy. Since he's basically ranting about how people shouldn't come to see him. Seriously, why does he have such a bug up his ass about someone missing a class. I think it comes down to ego; the only professors I've known that are really that fucking obsessed with attendance are the ones that think VERY highly of themselves (as in; you miss my class you miss my fantastic insights on the universe!)

At least Prof Dragster is super cool. Due to me being a dumbshit, I missed class yesterday, and he spent that period explaining the equations for the next Simulation of Doom, and well, I kind of NEED THOSE. First he suggested that I get the notes off someone, but I basically told him I really wanted to start this weekend (I DO. I AM NOT PULLING WHAT I DID LAST WEEKEND AGAIN.) and he went through his own personal notes and photocopied what I needed and elaborated on a few things.

I mean, it's my bad that I missed class (Vehicle Dynamics, though, really NEEDS you to be there, as the text doesn't explain as well as he does) but he at least tried to work with me, and considering I have been on and off majorly sick, I don't feel so bad about it.

Good prof vs. bad prof; see the difference? I don't even mind a prof that refers me to the TA, if it's a large class. I get that. But I pay them. I don't give a fuck what research they'd rather be doing, their priorety should be to TEACH STUDENTS. And I think it's not too much to ask for, well, that!

Alright, time to turn in my Composites homework and make sure I don't have a conflict with the exam!

Today I learned from Professor Dragster that it is in fact the back of a vehicle's shape that reduces drag more. While I sort of had this concept in the back of my mind due to airfoils:



Considering the backs of them are sharp, I never thought about this in terms of say, cars. This makes for yet another thing that makes more sense in a mechanical engineering class that did not make sense in my aero engineering classes. Hrm!

So, you want a car that gets good gas mileage (because drag affects performance!). Get one with a smaller behind.

I wish I had the graphic he used, maybe I'll track it down sometime. THE MORE YOU KNOW.

Edit: This means that a VW Bug (current and older versions) is more aerodynamic than say, a minivan, no matter how sleek the front of said minivan is, its behind is still large and boxy.

~Cendri