Ever looked at a civilian aircraft and wondered when it was made? Well chances are you couldn’t differentiate a 1973 from a 2005. Check this out:

Which one do you think is older? Well the one on the right is from 1973, while the left is from 2005.

Yet you look at cars from the seventies vs today, and you see astonishing differences. Why hasn’t the aviation industry been keeping up with technology? It boggles my mind.

There hasn’t been much innovation in aircraft in the last 40 years whatsoever. How come!?

I’ve recently had the chance to use my 16gb iPad as an electronic flight bag (EFB).

There’s an app called Foreflight Mobile which is essentially the only thing you need to run.

From their website:

We’ve rebuilt ForeFlight Mobile from the landing gear up to support the new Apple iPad.

See approach plates, routes, fuel prices, VFR/IFR charts, radar, flight rules, and airport maps in greater depth and detail than ever before. Tap out your route on the Map.

Plates. Charts. A/FD. Rock and Roll.

They’ve built a great system. I literally can plot out my course, complete with winds aloft (which is pulled automatically) just by typing in the airport identifiers. From there I can file a flight plan and go! The best part is, I can use the maps in real time while I’m flying. Unfortunately, my iPad is not the 3g version so I do not have the GPS built in. However, I have one of those in the dash and several VORs to back me up if I ever get lost.

Foreflight also gives me information about my destination. For example, the names and numbers for cafes, car rentals, etc. It’s invaluable.

A long time ago I had this idea that you could make a piece of software be able to alter itself depending on the input that was provided. I was sitting in a tree-stand hunting deer when this idea came across. This was about 2 years ago.

Anyway, my idea consists of writing code that would perform a certain task. However, should the variables in the input change (we’ll call this the environment) the software would rewrite its functions to accomplish another set of goals that would be predefined. So say the program is passed ‘A’, it then will execute a standard function (the behavior) and return something (we’ll call this the action). So as the environment changes, the behavior is modified to fulfill a set of standards, and thus the action is entirely different.

Now you’re probably wondering where the program would get such an ability to alter its own code to fit all of the infinite possibilities… right? Well you start off small. You give the program some basic instincts to work with. You give it a set of goals for certain environmental inputs, say ‘A’ through ‘G’. What we’ve just created is a piece of software that can adapt to its input and produce a result dependent on its predefined goals.

Obviously, software that is attempting to write its own outcome isn’t going to be very efficient. So we limit the number of possibilities. Say we set some sort of limit as to how long the code has to write its new function, thus making it occur quickly. It can simply run a number of scenarios to determine whether or not the goal is achieved. Simple? I think so.

So we have a very small number of inputs and goals paired a time-restriction. What we do is break all of the results (or the behaviors) down into it’s algorithmic components and set it all aside into a database somewhere. After awhile of collecting data from multiple tests, we can let the software utilize the algorithms it has already used. It would now be super efficient for environmental variables that it has already encountered, thus enabling us to throw more at it.

What we’re left with is a piece of software that can effectively write its own algorithm to complete a task based upon previous outcomes, which is synonymous with thinking and learning.

But hey, it’s just an idea.

Nature can do it better.

Some things truly puzzle me. I can get into a 2001 Cessna 172 and it’s nearly identical to a 1973 172. The only differences are the computer powered instruments and maybe some leather seating. However the design of the plane hasn’t changed whatsoever. The technology literally hasn’t changed in years. Even the Wright Brothers had a very similar layout to their plane. Why are we still using antiquated technology and designs?

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Why hasn’t the aviation industry kept on top of it? Is the design so good that it can’t be perfected or refined any further? I don’t believe so.

It’s already been established that the rudder of planes was added to make up for a bad design. When control input moves the ailerons, causing the plane to roll to a side, it also induces a yawing tendency. Engineers added the rudder to help correct for this.

I think that instead of finding a solution to their problem, they should have referred to nature. You see, no bird or flying creature of any type has a rudder, let alone a vertical stabilizer. Designers need to use biomimicry to find solutions to their problems. I believe there is a better wing design out there. Maybe it just hasn’t been uncovered yet.

As I sat in my basement trying to bang my way through some Beethoven, I started to wonder what made his (and other classical composers) music so great.

Now, keep in mind that I am not a musician whatsoever. I have very little musical abilities. I don’t play the piano, guitar, or anything else. I just have a knack for trying to find reason and improvements in other forms of science. Maybe someday something will come of it all.

I pulled the classic “Fur Elise” into some software and made a spectrogram of the piece. It’s colored using a logarithmic function, with linear frequency on the y-axis and time on the x.

I’m not interested in creating music using math, but what I am interested in is finding out why some music is pleasing to us. Why we find it relaxing or exhilarating… what made the classic composers so great!

I believe that there is a pattern within absolutely everything, especially within nature. Since math is the fundamental language of science and sound can be reduced to math, I’m convinced there’s some correlation.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. I can’t seem to come up with a solid, concise reason as to why I want to attend Dental School and become a Dentist. Deep down in my heart I know it’s what I want, but my brain doesn’t understand why? Why would anyone want to subject themselves to another 4 (possibly more) years of schooling after 4 years of undergrad? I know the answers are contained deep inside my soul somewhere and I’m going to attempt to figure it out.

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I enjoy helping people

Whenever someone has a problem, I’ll generally listen to what they have to say and attempt to help them if that’s what they’re seeking. If someone needs help working on their car, their house, or anything else that I can be helpful with, I’ll always offer a hand. I like to think of myself as a giving person… though we’re all lazy sometimes, right?

I like people

So there’s plenty of people that I know whom I’m not very fond of whatsoever. Yet there are far more people that I love talking to. I love hearing about what they have to say and I love telling them my stories. The best part about owning Dog & Claw is having the chance to talk to handfuls of people per day; sometimes for extended periods.

I love making people smile

What fun would anything be if no one ever smiled? Imagine a world so cold that everyone was grim and kept to themselves? I want to have fun in my life and I think you should as well! However, some people don’t feel confident with their smile, for whatever reason, and I would find nothing more gratifying than possessing the ability to alleviate them of their insecurity. Watching someone leave my practice while showing their pearly whites would be deeply satisfying.

I’m a family man

So I could become a physician and help people with a plethora of other problems, but it’s just not for me. Dog & Claw has given me a taste of 18 hour work days and I’ll tell you what, it’d get old quick. I envision myself having a job that gives me the financial security I need while allowing me to spend a lot of time with my family. What fun would life be if you didn’t have someone to share it with?

I like technology

Medicine is always improving and I would love nothing more than having the ability to work with some of the newest technology while doing my job. Well that’s a lie, there is one thing I’d love more… developing some of that new technology. Applying everything I’ve learned throughout my life to develop a tool, method, or system to help doctors/dentists perform their job would be wonderful. I like to get my creativity on every once and a while.

Scrubs aren’t so bad either…

I know I could get through dental school. I always rise to the occasion. I’d be focused. I’d be hungry for it. It’s just a matter of whether I can get in or not. I still have a couple years to go with undergrad until I have to “wow” some the AdComs.

Wish me luck?

Intro

Billions of years ago by mysterious forces deep down inside organic soup, the building blocks of life emerged. The components of life began to clump together to eventually form the very first cell. A single cell that’s smaller than anything you can even fathom. It would be this negligible amount of organic material would form the basis of the most complex life species on the planet. This cell would transform a planet into a home.

As millions of years shot by, life began to evolve. It transformed into new exotic species. It grew into more and more complex forms of life. And most importantly, it diversified. Somewhere along the line these organisms started onto a trend that would produce the most powerful of all species. It started on a path that, according to many minds, would have a definitive ending. This path of life is the only path that would come to a stop. A stop for such a species, yet a beginning for another.

Early hominids begin to walk the earth. They diversify from their relatives, the chimpanzee, by gaining an upright posture. They begin to move out of the trees and onto the ground, causing them to gain arches in their feet. The proportions of their faces are altered, and their muscles adapt to the new living conditions. They are evolving. They are changing to suit their new found environment. And soon a miracle takes place. Early humans invent their first tools, effectively paving the way for mankind as we know it. Humans began to take present day shape.

Their societies begin to evolve as well, yet humans cease to change significantly. The only thing that is changing now, is their intellectual capacity. Though it’s not their intelligence that’s changing, it’s their knowledge. They have reached their full potential. The evolutionary processes are slowing down dramatically, though it has not stopped. These evolutionary changes are caused by natural selection; A force which is present throughout nature that enables the strong to survive and the weak to die. It is a pivotal part of creating a successful species and without it, life would fail to exist.

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When it comes to running a successful business having a comprevensive business plan is crucial. It outlines every single aspect of your company in an easy to navigate format that is almost universal throughout the business world. It will also help when it comes time to talk to banks or other businesses. However, something that is often overlooked during the planning and execution periods, is your company image.

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So it looks like the heart problem is going to be a thing of the past! I officially have my last appointment with the cardiologist next Wednesday to finalize everything. I have to wear a 24 holter monitor to make sure that I’m not symptomatic of my previous condition. Once that shows I’m all set, I’ll get my 3rd Class Medical Certificate in the mail and I can get back to flying.

Wish me luck!

I went to KSFM the other day around 1000 to do some aerobatics with the chief flight instructor. Talk about a blast!

We started off with discussing the possibility of an emergency during flight, in which I would have to bail out of the airplane. We went over exactly how to bail out, how to pull the D-Handle, and how to make a safe landing into whatever terrain you might face. Oh boy… was that something. Once he had me sufficiently nervous, we hoped into the plane and took off.

We climbed to about 6500ft MSL and he guided me through my first spin. We intentionally let it develop into a full three turn spin and recovered. What a blast that was. I did it three times, and on my third try I managed to let it fully develop, make one complete revolution, and recover all within 500 feet. I was pleased, to say the least.

We moved onto loops and rolls… which weren’t as exciting as I thought they’d be. I found rolls to be the hardest, simply because you’re constantly watching that reference point to make sure you maintain the proper attitude. My last set seemed to be alright…

I also think it’s worth noting that during one of my loops, I pulled a massive amount of Gs… a total of 4. Okay, so it’s not that much… but it was still a blast. That means I weighed 660 pounds for about 5 seconds.

Can’t wait to do it again.