Happy Thanksgiving: CFD Simulation of a Turkey!!!

The older I get, the more I appreciate Thanksgiving. A great day to take a step back, spend some time with the family and be truly thankful for what we have in life.

It wouldn't be a holiday without a little CFD fun. Check out this turkey sent to me by one of the guys on our team. Thanks, Josh. This makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! Be safe.

Cloud Computing: Life with a Netbook...the beginning

I waited five long weeks for my new personal netbook. I've ranted in the past about my vision to have a small laptop, loaded with linux and other open source applications. I want to use the netbook primarily for browsing the web, email, and general office applications. The hard drive is very small, so the idea is that I will leverage online applications, online storage and backups. This premise obviously implies that I will be connected to the Internet most of the time.

So far, so good. The Dell mini came with Ubuntu Hardy Heron loaded. I ran into a few issues initially.

• The mini is based on lpia architecture, not the standard i386. So, downloading standard applications was a pain initially. There are workarounds available, but upgrading to Intrepid Ibex, addresses this issue.
• Dell still hasn't shipped my external DVD player, so upgrading to Intrepid required creating a Live USB. It took a bit of trial and error with the USB-Creator in Hardy. I finally got it to work and love the idea of Live USB keys to boot/install the OS. Intrepid's USB Creator is much easier to use.

Once upgraded to Intrepid, the main issue I ran into was no sound. I searched every forum I could find to try and fix the problem. The guys at DELLMINI forum, saved the day. Here is the quick fix for the sound issue on a Dell mini.


Some cool things that I am using..

ONLINE STORAGE - chose to go with Box.net; allows me to upload files from my work laptop & desktop (both Vista) & access it anywhere via the web. Also testing out Dropbox.

OFFICE APPLICATIONS - Obviously using MS Office @ works and leveraging Live Mesh & Office Live to share MS docs for work. On my netbook, I am using Open Office. Just figured out that you can open Office 2007 docs (word at least) in Open Office. This is huge for me! I am also using Google Docs quite a bit..I love the "offline" option.

BROWSER - Mozilla Firefox - across the board

IM/PHONE - Skype- working alot better on Vista lately; had to tweak the sound settings on the Linux version (Sound In = HDA Intel (hw:Intel,0); Sound Out = pulse)

MUSIC - using Rhythmbox Music Player - streaming Last.fm.

EMAIL - using Google Mail. I also have my Outlook calendar synced with my Google Calendar.

More to come on this.. Wondering if any other netbook users out there that can provide some insight, cool applications etc..

The yin yang of our careers...

We all go through peaks and valleys throughout our careers. Some of us simply look at our jobs as a necessary evil, others of us take it maybe a bit too serious. Many fall somewhere in the middle.

I truly believe that there has never been a more exciting and challenging time to work in the field of technology. The opportunities are vast and the personal satisfaction can be immense.

However, I'm a realist and understand that jobs are a bit more difficult to land, especially the dream job. But to me, it is all about paying your dues and excelling at what you do. Take pride and above all else, be accountable!!!

Whether times are tough or times are easy- engineers and the like should be constantly working toward some sort of goal; some sort of ideal job. That doesn't necessarily mean more money, doesn't necessarily mean more responsibility. Often times, it does, but not always. We should raise the bar just a bit higher than what we think is obtainable. If we fall a bit short, its OK. But that gives us a reason to wake up the next day and work just a bit harder.

The journey will not be easy. We will all hit walls, trek through valleys and eventually hit peaks of nirvana. The point is that we should be consistently pushing forward, challenging ourselves, adding value to the team and the mission. But we should always be real to ourselves. Nothing lasts forever. We should be able to identify when it is time to move on to the next stage in our careers. The days of the "gold watch" party are history. It's simply different times.

A dear friend that I have worked with over the last few years reached a pinnacle point in his career and he has decided to pursue other opportunities. I couldn't be happier for him and for us as a company. Sure, we will miss him and there will be big shoes to fill. But, to me, it is a sign of progression and an ever evolving process of growth. Both for the company and for him.

Best of luck, Jeff! Looking forward to hearing about the next leg of your journey.

It's not always about the "Product"...

Another highly scientifically monitored survey from the staff at TheVE. We posed the question, "what browser do you use"? Check out the results below....

Ok, the fact is - probably not the fairest survey as the number of readers here is in the 100s. But a descent turnout on the responses, all limited to one response per ip address. So, its as scientific as we get here at TheVE.

Personally, I am a big fan of Firefox. But, I was pretty surprised to see how overwhelmingly it was the browser of choice. I would really like to know people's answer to "why do you use FF"?

Is it because you have specific issues with IE? Maybe specific issues with Microsoft? Some people have said, well, "Firefox is safer".

My motivation to use FF? Two reasons: I am always interested in trying out "the other guy" and I have a deep interest in supporting any Open Source project. But the bottom line, Firefox is slick, does what I need it to do and in general, it is a very good experience.


BUT- it doesn't come without its flaws. I tend to upgrade fairly regularly and noticed that FF crashes (on Vista), probably daily. Definitely annoying, but they have an option to "restart previous" option. So, it remembers where I was. What is more interesting is that in many many years of using IE, I seem to recall, at most, a handful of crashes.

So why would I choose to use a product that is more unstable? Simple - I am a fan. I believe in what they are all about. I am more willing to tolerate imperfections.

Morale of the post- its not always about the product. It is about the people, the organization, the ideas and the philosophy from where the product originates. Surely not always the case, but companies that are focused on building a community or "tribe", are often successful in spite of the products they develop.

Cloud Computing: Live Mesh

I am completely obsessed with working in a virtual environment. There is no better extension of this obsession than cloud computing. I will intermittently post snippets of various "cloud" tools that I use to work and live. There are fanatics out there that "need" a clear line and definition on what cloud computing really is and what it isn't. I'm not into formal definitions.

In general, working in the "clouds" to me is leveraging the web for communication, file storage, file sharing, computing (running calculations), sharing information, obtaining information and relaying information.

I literally use a ton of various applications to do all of the above. But let's talk about how I keep my files in synch just for my own use. So I have a few computers that I use for work. Some are desktops, some are laptops. Some I use all the time, some I use only to do "computations". But I have found that there are certain files that I want to have accessible on all machines all the time. Sure, I can copy and paste and "share" drives etc. But suppose I am on the road? Suppose I only have my phone with me and need to snag a file and send it to someone?

For this type of stuff, I have been using Microsoft's Live Mesh. I want even begin to try and explain whether it is a platform, application, client-server..whatever. I'll just try and show you how it works and leave the marketing stuff to MS.

A bit redundant as I posted some of this last week, but I wanted to include some screenshots for clarity. In a nutshell, you create an account on the Live Mesh website. If you do nothing else, you can consider Live Mesh like any other online storage folder system. It gives you 5GB/month for free. But Mesh is way more than that.

You can then begin to "add" devices to your "Mesh". You can then choose what folders on each of the devices you want to keep in "synch" and also allows simple drag and drop between devices and your online "Live Desktop" etc. So, for example, if I am working on some documents (any type) on my laptop in a hotel and I want to be able to access these files later either via a web browser or my desktop at home (maybe my personal pc) OR my phone. I save these files to a folder that has been "flagged" as a Live Mesh folder. In Vista, the folders turn a cool ice blue color, indicating they are Mesh folders.

When not using my Live Desktop via a browser, I have the above widget to manage my Mesh settings etc.

There are a few other cool things. For example, I can also "Remote Desktop" from one machine to the other via Mesh. I have found performance is so-so for now. GOTOMYPC is way faster, which probably means less secure?? I mentioned mobile phone support above, personally I use the mobile web site to access my Live Desktop as opposed to installing the actual application on my phone. Other guys on our team have had issues with the application.

Some really cool things coming out of Microsoft in the days to come. It's easy to become cynical and poke fun, but from where I am sitting, the stuff coming will help me tremendously in my work life. Interested to hear people's experience with Mesh, both good and bad?!?

Can Upfront CFD help you see clearer?

I was out shopping this weekend and saw adds for a "HUGE, Ski Equipment Sale!" How quickly the time flies.. Already into yet, another season. Really cool model one of our brand new guys just worked on. I am constantly amazed at the types of problems we are fortunate enough to work on everyday. Obviously, the title of the post is a bit of a metaphor. In this particular case, we were able to show a leading goggle manufacturer how to improve their product. But the same rings true for many industries. Competition is tight, everyone is trying to be leaner. But, don't lose sight of the fact that there are smarter ways of doing things. You just need to look.

Upfront CFD has come along way. Tons of more places to go and challenges to overcome. But most importantly as companies tighten up, they will strive to work smarter and more efficiently now than ever before. Check out this post from one of my favorite blogs, Seth Godin's Blog. Couldn't agree more!!!

Don't Assume Others Will Do It - VOTE!!!

No speech required. No excuses. You know how important it is, get out there and do your part. Don't assume its over or its in the bag - every vote counts!!!