Downgrading to Wordpress2.7.1 was really simple:

• Download the previous version.
• Drag the files into your Wordpress installation directory.
• Log-in into the admin menu.
• Wordpress will request to automatically update your database. Agree to the update.
• Everything should be back to the way it was. It was for me.

Readers, keep me posted on when this major bug gets resolved. Thanks.

This article covers chapters 1 and 2 of my disstertation. These chapters cover:

- Dissertation Introduction
- Voltage Source Buck Converter Modeling
- Boost Converter Modeling
- Voltage Source Inverter Modeling

G. Pitel, “Fast power converters and rapid digital design,” UILU-ENG-2008-2509, CEME-TR-2008-02, December 2008, pp. 1-14.

• Chapter 2: Piecewise linear, bilinear, and steady-state power converter models.
• Chapter 3.4: Minimum-time control / nonlinear-model predictive control.
• Chapter 3.5: Parameter system identification using recursive-least squares algorithm.
• Chapter 4: Programmable dc-dc converter system performance using active low/high-side damper resistors.
• Chapter 5: In depth study of  model-based techniques using a grid-interactive inverter.

I was fortunate to find out that Champaign-Urbana has a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for feral cats, and they also have a network of volunteers that socializes young kittens in foster homes so that they can be adopted. The organization CATsNAP (Champaign Area Trap Spay/Neuter and Adoption Program) provided traps, and I set them in the yard. Over a short span of time I managed to trap seven kittens, three adult cats, and, unfortunately, two opossums and one racoon. The kittens were socialized and subsequently showed up on Petfinder.com and our local Petsmart.  I actually managed to see one of “my kittens” at Petsmart and did my best to convince a couple in the adoption area to take her home. The adult cats, including the mother of the kittens, were fixed, vaccinated, and released. And the opossums and racoon were immediately, and carefully, re-released. Let me just say: opossums smell awful. Combined with the fact that they froth at the mouth when stressed, appearing rabid, I can say with certainty that they are some of the nastiest creatures on earth. Eventually the only thing I would find in the trap was the kittens’ mother. I imagine that once she had been spayed, a day in the trap was a small sacrifice for a can of scrumptious wet food. At that point, Kitty Entrapment Campaign #1 came to a halt. And next year there were no kittens, which I think means it was a success.

Now, two years later, I noticed a new litter of kittens. Thankfully CATsNAP is here to help, and I am hoping we can catch the little guys in time to socialize them. Due to the desperate need for foster homes, we may have to become tamers of wild kittens ourselves to see that happen. And they are wild, which is actually kind of comical. One can’t help but smirk at half-pound kittens furiously hissing and spitting. Stay tuned to see what falls into my trap: Campaign #2 has begun.

Operation Kitty Catch Journal

• Days: 22
• TNR ferals: 4
• Feral kittens: 11
• Opossums: 2

Day 1 September 25th

An older kitten. Wasn’t too happy about being in the trap, so first kitten #1 sat in the foam water bowl, and then shredded it into a million pieces, along with the paper plates the food was on. Sadly this guy is past the age of socializing, so he/she was fixed, vaccinated, and released.

Day 2 September 26thThere was a malfunction.  The wet food was eaten, but the trap was empty.  As an aside, today we went to Farm & Fleet today and bought our own smaller trap.

Night 2 September 26th/27th

Opossum. I broke my own rule: don’t set the trap at night, even if Grant tells me to! Luckily it was the small trap, so a small opossum. But even the small ones smell and truthfully they are all dangerous–have you seen those 50 teeth? They have more than any other terrestrial mammal. At this point I have a set of “steps” to releasing opossums as I have done it enough times: (1) Set the trap on its side to move the opossum away from the door. Fear makes them freeze, so they generally stay put. (2) Throw a sheet over the trap so that you can crouch down to open the door without scaring it further. This also lets one avoid being scratched or bitten through the wires. (3) Carefully open the door. And this is the hard part. Due to the triggering mechanism it won’t stay open by itself. Either hold the door open by hand, while wearing gloves, or use rope or zip ties to hold it so you can step back while the animal walks out. This is a judgment call one has to make based on how aggressive the animal appears.

Day 3 September 27th

Today I met and discussed my activities with our neighbor, who was very nice and agreed to allow me access to his yard. I set the small trap next door, where I expect things to move along quickly. However the large trap remains problematic–either it is still malfunctioning, or some cat(s) is wise to it. Someone keeps eating the food and slipping away. UPDATE: We have kitten #2, a cute and fuzzy orange tabby, and he/she looks small enough to socialize. This guy also knocked over and shredded his water bowl. Seems to be a common theme.

Day 4 September 28th

I put the small trap out this morning and within half an hour we have kitten #3, a tortoiseshell female. Estimated age for both kittens is around 6 weeks. Pictures tonight. UPDATE: Kittens #2 and #3 were set up in our bathroom with the help of CATsNAP. I reset the traps and caught two more kittens, as well as one of the mothers, a tortoiseshell. We now have a total of four kittens in our bathroom, and Mom went for her spay surgery. I didn’t get a picture of Mom but you can see the kittens . Everybody had a “therapy session” (pick up kitten, set on lap, and pet on the back) and neither Grant nor I was scratched/bitten. Though they did hiss and spit. Black and orange are males and tortoiseshells are both female. Today they also were given their first vaccines, de-worming, and flea treatment.

Day 5 September 29th

The day started with a chorus of pitiful meows at around 5:30AM and I never got back to sleep. Kittens are still a huddled mass in the corner (translation: they are not tame yet) but I managed to get a towel beneath them. Put the small trap out this morning and within an hour a second adult cat was inside. He was dropped off at the Champaign County Humane Society this morning to be neutered.

Day 6 September 30th

After only 24 hours the kittens  still tend to hide, but are gradually becoming more comfortable with us around. They remain skeptical of us and will hiss if they feel scared, but sit nicely on our laps during brushing and petting. The orange kitten is the most adventurous and even purred. The large trap is back, and after setting it this morning I found kitten #1 inside and the spayed mother cat hanging around for moral support. I released him and they both ran off. The trap is re-set and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we catch another orange kitten today.

Day 7 October 1st

The kittens are improving, and the big orange guy and smallest, dark tortoiseshell are taming the fastest. Today the traps were set and we got two more kittens: one small black kitten, and a small orange tabby. These two were happy to see their siblings, but didn’t want anything to do with us! All six piled up in the corner and slept soundly that way. While it is great having half a dozen kittens in our bathroom, it would be difficult to give everyone the attention they need, and there are still more kittens out there. So CATsNAP arranged for the five small kittens to go to the Champaign County Humane Society where they will finish their medical care and socialization before being adopted.

Day 8 October 2nd

Grant and I said our goodbyes to the small kittens and  dropped them off today. The big orange kitten stays with us but is also out of the house for now–he was picked up by CATsNAP for his neuter surgery and will be back with us tomorrow night. He still does not have a name; I’m taking suggestions (see his picture above for inspiration). Unfortunately today we did not catch anyone new. At the end of the day one trap was empty, and the other was filled with an opossum so large it could barely turn around. Grant helped me to zip tie the trap open so it could walk out. I plan to wake up extra early tomorrow to get the traps out.

Day 9 October 3rd

I woke up early and had the traps hosed out and set by 7:00AM. It’s getting more difficult, so I decided to up the ante and bait the traps with a combination of wet cat food and tuna fish. Sadly they were still empty before we left, so I’ll have to wait until tonight to see if we catch any more cats or kittens. It seems like they may have relocated temporarily to avoid me. It’s also gotten very cold, so I’m really hoping to catch the remaining little guys as soon as possible. I know there is at least one more orange kitten, and an orange “Mom” cat to spay. UPDATE: Kitten is back, and he’s almost tame. He still seems startled when we walk in, but he will jump onto my lap and purrs and kneads. When you are in the room, he wants constant attention. He’s also getting more playful. When I checked the traps in the evening, one was empty, and the other had the spayed tortoiseshell “Mom.”

Day 10 October 4th

I got the small trap out at about 8:00AM, once again baited with tuna and cat food.  While I was over there I saw three cats, but I think they are the three that were already fixed–not totally sure. UPDATE: Today there was a new orange tabby kitten in the small trap. He was a bit larger, possibly big brother to the kitten we still have. New kitten was taken by CATsNAP to jump-start the taming process in a more experienced foster home, and I did not get a picture, but he may be back. While I was outside in the evening I saw tortoiseshell Mom with yet another orange kitten, but a smaller and fluffier version.

Day 11 October 5th

The traps are both back out today and baited with tuna fish and wet food. Grant said he saw the orange Mom in our back yard, but with a tree being taken down today there is too much commotion to catch her. The orange kitten in our bathroom is proving to be a real sweetheart, purring and kneading all the time, and he is starting to play more. I added a few new pictures of him. UPDATE: Eventually the workmen left and I put the large trap in back, but when I got home both were empty.

Day 12 October 6th

Today I put the small trap out, and baited it with tuna fish and some wet food. We were away at work all day and when we finally got back I knew I was successful when I saw a cat hanging around the trap. Many times when one cat is in the trap, another is close by-maybe for moral support? There was a fluffy orange kitten in the trap. New kitten is growling, hissing, climbing the walls and generally letting us know she’s not happy. Based on size she belongs to the same litter as the five that went to the humane society. But this one is not going to be as easy. In better news, the kitten caught two days ago tamed in a day and is doing very well in a foster home.

Day 13 October 7th

Today it was raining, so I did not put the traps out. Lucky for us the new kitten has calmed down somewhat. She tolerated petting and ate food off of my hand. But she remains wary of us.  It did not help that I tried to shove a syringe full of dewormer into her mouth. She ended up wearing some of it.

Day 14 October 8th

One of the kittens started meowing at 4:00AM, keeping me awake, and I ended up moving to the couch. The weather looked dreary this morning so the traps stayed inside. Overall things are about the same today. Male kitten continues to do very well, and female kitten tolerates some contact but still hissed at me this morning. Here’s a picture of the two of them together. UPDATE: In the evening I was able to get both to play with a toy, which is an improvement for the new female kitten. For the few minutes she was playing, she no longer appeared angry and actually had the wide-eyed happy look you expect from a kitten.

Day 15 October 9th

Today the weather was nice, so both traps went out in the morning. When I set the trap by the neighbor’s house, I saw two kittens–so I was expecting success today. Grant checked the trap mid-day and there was a buff-colored kitten in the trap, plus three more outside! So there is still more work to do. New kitten is an older female. Our assignment is to get her as tame as possible over the weekend. She may be spayed on Monday. She is really beautiful, so it should not take long for her to be adopted assuming she can be socialized. No pictures yet, the camera batteries died.

Day 16 October 10th

Got both traps out this morning. All the kittens are doing well. New buff kitten survived her first brushing/petting therapy session. She continues to hiss, but luckily for her she’s a beautiful cat so I don’t hold it against her. Managed to get a picture this morning. UPDATE: Both traps were empty so I brought them in for the night. Today the two girls had their picture taken, so I expect them to show up on Petfinder soon.

Day 17 October 11th

I decided to give the ferals a rest and not put the traps out today. Hopefully after one day they will forget about the fact that these metal cages make their friends disappear. The kittens are fine. They caused a lot of trouble last night-I came in this morning and the toilet paper was off the roll, in a heap on the floor. Plus someone made it on the shelf, as a book was on the floor too. The buff kitten is starting to tame, she will still hiss but actually purred for me today briefly. And I signed on to Petfinder and found their page, which I saved an image of here. Buff kitten is named Sunny (I now refer to her as “Sunny D”) and the small kitten was named Macy. I had actually been calling her Mei, so this seemed almost to be an amusing coincidence.

Day 18 October 12th

Today I put the small trap out by the neighbor’s house in the early afternoon before going to work. Came home to find an enormous cat (presumably tomcat) in the trap. It was an orange tabby that I have not seen before. This guy had succeeded in knocking the trap on its side and was decidedly unhappy to be in there. I had to carry it home as far as possible from my body to avoid being clawed/swatted. His thrashing about in the cage left him with a bloodied lower lip, but he calmed down once I put him in the garage and turned the lights out. I decided not to take a picture to avoid aggravating him further. He will be fasting tonight in preparation for a neuter surgery tomorrow. In other news, I decided to start using a baby gate to close off the bathroom so that the kittens would have more exposure to the sounds of househould life. Once Bode saw them-he is on the other side of a second baby gate, several feet away-he was barking and jamming his arms through the gate. It seems that our nightly dog and kitten sessions have not done much. I don’t think Bode can be trusted around kittens, so we won’t be keeping any of them.

Day 19 October 13th

Beefy orange cat was picked up today at 7:15AM for surgery. I was already awake at that point, without an alarm-the kittens’ meowing woke me up around 6:30AM. The weather looked iffy so I decided not to put out the large trap. Nowadays Sunny still hisses at times, but enjoys attention. They all enjoy attention, and will meow to ask for it if need be. It’s hard to pamper three kittens with only two hands. At this point I just put all of them on my lap, and Grant did the same this morning. I snapped a few pictures which I’ll put online later. UPDATE: I added a picture. He was whistling to get their attention.

Day 21 October 15th

The trap did not go out today or yesterday due to rain.  It was a sad day today: Mei and Sunny were dropped off at the humane society. Poor kittens got a little damp because the crate we transported them in had been cleaned out and was still wet. Their unhappy mugs showed up on the Champaign County Humane society here. They should be adopted out, so I should not really be too depressed about it, but I was fond of Mei, especially her silly grin and Fu Manchu whiskers.  Unlike last time, and suprising myself and probably Grant, I managed not to tear up. It was deemed necessary because male kitten seems to be having some health issues, and we need to focus our energy on him. Today he was bathed–which he did NOT enjoy at all–and he also had some anti-fungal applied to his nose, where he is losing hair, and he is on a course of antibiotics for a possible urinary tract infection. I used bleach to disinfect the bathroom surfaces and removed all the bedding  on the assumption that he may have ringworm on his nose, though that is uncertain. Once he was dry he was happy again, and appears to be feeling well. Regardless any new kittens will not be fostered at our house.

Day 22 October 16th

Weather was cold but clear, so the small trap went out today. While I was setting it at the neighbor’s house, I saw an orange kitten. I’m hoping I can trap him or her today, but not too optimistic because I ran out of tuna and only had wet food for bait.  Male kitten was happy and playful this morning, and he was not very cooperative this morning for his antibiotics–I have a few scratches to prove it. Tomorrow I plan to wear gloves. UPDATE: Today I came home to find two (!) orange kittens in the small trap. They are about the same size as Sunny. I suspect that they, Sunny, and the male were all from the same litter, making our fuzzy male kitten the runt. The two kittens were picked up and will spend a few days in a home, and then I will bring them to the humane society later this week. That brings us to a total of 11 kittens so far. There is still one black kitten, and I’m not convinced that was the last of the orange kittens; plus, orange Mom cat still has not been caught. Weather permitting the trap will be back out tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.

Epilogue January 4th 

The tally for this fall’s crazy kitten experience was 11 feral kittens trapped. Of those, eight spent some time in our home, while two went directly to the humane society, and one, directly to another foster home. And of the eight that spent time in our home, seven ultimately also went to the humane society. Our long-term foster, “Scottie,” was very hard to give up. I still miss coming home to the dog and kitten waiting for us on the couch. He was a great kitten, and I think he will mature into a very beautiful and sweet cat. This adventure has even opened Grant’s mind to the possibility of future cat ownership–for the right cat. And now a brief overview of the outcome.

Kitten #2, Scottie, stayed with us until he was adopted by a nice family. Now known as “Sammy,” he’s growing up and remains a playful and affectionate little guy. We have been very fortunate to receive occasional updates, with photos, from his owners, and he looks very content in his home.

Kittens #3- 7, the small kittens, were taken to the humane society. One died in foster care. One was euthanized due to an upper respiratory infection, a common illness for kittens in shelters. Three were euthanized for ringworm. Yes, all five kittens, dead; three for a treatable skin disease.

Kitten #8, Leo, went to a foster home. After about a month in foster care he became very ill. I don’t yet know whether he will recover.

Kitten #9, Mei, went to the humane society. After foster care, she was adopted out.

Kitten #10,  Sunny, went to the humane soceity. After foster care she went back to the shelter.  While waiting for adoption she developed an upper respiratory infection. I knew about this and did contact the rescue to see if there was any way we could intervene before the inevitable happened. It was not to be, and she was euthanized.

Kittens #11 and 12, went directly to the humane soceity. Both of these kittens have since been adopted out. 

Given the death of the majority of the kittens, I debated removing this post and keeping it off. In my mind the blithe voice reporting various events in September and October belies the grim truth of the kittens’ fate. With an adoption rate of only 36%, this is what we academics would call a “failing grade.” So what have I learned from this experience? It’s tough being a kitten. People should spay and neuter their pets. And let’s just say that the road to that special place is paved with good intentions.

I’d like to think that what we did achieve is at least better than the alternative, which is the kittens still being outside as ferals, with a similar or worse chance for survival. But ultimately this experience has left me profoundly disappointed. 

One day when I was in middle school, my mother walked me in to the building. As she left she was talking to another individual. They noticed as they were walking away that a puppy was trying to get in the front door of the school. The security guards were doing their best to keep him out, so the puppy started to follow my mother and this other person as they walked to their cars. They joked about it.

When the sidewalk reached a “T,” they each went in a different direction toward their respective cars. The puppy followed my mother! Not only did it follow her, but when she got in the car, the puppy jumped up and put its front feet on the car. He was trying to look in at her through the window, and left two little dusty paw prints on the door. She drove away and left the dog there at the school. She did not want a dog. But the little paw prints were just too much. In spite of her better judgement, my mother drove to the veterinarian where I was volunteering, and asked how much it would cost to bring the dog in for a check-up and shots. Then she went back to the school, found the dog, and took him home.

We named him Murphy, and the rest, as they say, is history. A true Heinz 57, he had shepherd markings, tipped ears, the stocky body of a pit bull, a black-and-red tongue (we called it his “dirty” tongue) indicating chow-chow heritage, and wise eyes. He was such a unique dog. I liked to tell him that he had a “receding hairline”: when he was young, black markings spanned the top of his head, but the black disappeared as he aged until it was only two small spots in front of his ears. His mangy tipped ears eventually became Yoda ears, but we loved him just the same. He will be missed.

The germinate, I soaked the seeds in water for 24 hrs. Afterwards, I scattered a healthy amount of seeds on the soil’s surface. Using a spray can, I sprayed it with a lot of water a few times a day, making sure the pot had holes in the bottom for drainage. I woke up the next morning after planting the seeds and it had already begun rooting. When I got home from work, there were sprouts. I was amazed at the barley grass’ rate of growth. You could almost watch it grow it was going so fast. After about a week’s time, I trimmed the grass so only 1-1.5 inches were showing.

Below are some pictures of the barley grass with the corresponding time of its growth labeled:

Barley Grass – 0 Days

Last summer when I cleaned out my drawer for the move, I came across the lone remaining seed.  Despite the age of the seed, I decided it was still worth a try, so I made preparations to plant it.  I soaked the seed in water for 48-hours.  Then I planted the seed about two inches deep in normal potting soil.  I watered it everyday for about 2 weeks with little anticipation that it’d actually grow.  To my surprise, it finally sprouted.

I nutured the plant for the remainder of the summer into late September.  At that point I stopped watering it and stored it in a dark place isolated place, so it would remain undisturbed while I was at school–or so I thought.  I came home from school on spring break after the plant had been moved to the new house, only to find the tree laying the ground, pulled out of the pot, with the top half shredded, kudos to Samson (our Jack Russell Terror).

Again I found myself nuturing this plant with little hope that it’d come to life.  Sure enough, as you can see in the picture on the left, it is doing very well.  You can see the little portion of the trunk beyond the leaves that has died as a result of Samson’s attack.  I look forward to the Baobab getting a little taller.  I used normal potting soil and I water the tree every day. 

The pot I used is from the Bonsai-Rosade Studio in New Hope, PA.  Though unapparently from the street, nestled deep in the woods this bonsai store has a lot of really nice trees both for sale and for show.  They offer classes and pots at pretty reasonable prices.  I will definately be going back.  The stand is actually a candle holder that I picked up from Pier1 years ago for a few dollars.

I purchased a Dell 3200MP projector in 2003, fulfilling my undergraduate fantasy of a 60+ image in my living room. In 2007 the bulb expired and I was left with a difficult decision of buying a new bulb or replacing the projector.  I wanted to hold off buying a new projector until one with 1080p, +2000 lumens, and under a grand was available.  Yet, I really could not justify paying $350 dollars on a new lamp when a new XGA projector costs around $500. A new lamp consists of housing and a UHP (ultra high pressure) bulb. Leaving me with three replacement options:

(1) Salvage lamp housing and find the exact bulb. Cost – ~$100 dollars.
(2) Send the bulb out for refurbishing ~$250
(3) Buy a new lamp from the manufacturer ~$360

OPTION 1:
This was the option I eventually choose. After watching Ebay for a few weeks, my bulb showed up. You can find out what your bulb you have by removing the lamp from the projector (directions are probably in the projector manual).  My bulb was a Osram VIP 150/P16 (see attached picture).  I believe VIP is the bulb technology, 150 is the power rating, and P16 describes the bulb shape and size.  I only had to remove a few screws to remove the bulb from the housing.  When you refurbish the bulb, be careful not to get fingerprints on the new bulb. This creates hot spots which reduce bulb life.

OPTION 2:
Projector bulbs come in many different shapes and size and some are easier to locate than others.  If you can’t find your bulb, refurbishing services are also an option.  Users on missingremote and AVSforum recommend RelampIt for their decent prices and good service.  You email them your projector model and they will tell you if they can replace the bulb. Then you ship your lamp, they put in a new bulb, and ship it back with a 90 day warranty.

I hope these bulb replacement options wil help encourage wary customers into purchasing front projectors.  Once you have one I am convience that you will have a hard time going back to anything.

Most days we drive to work, and until about a week ago, we paid forty dollars a month to park in a lot close to campus,  owned by the Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF). On several occasions Grant and I saw  a squirrel getting into the engine block of parked cars by jumping up onto the front wheel and climbing in. To be honest, at the time we thought the squirrel was innocently hiding acorns or keeping warm in the cars, and it seemed like a clever thing to do.

About a month ago, the left, front blinker on our car stopped working. For those who don’t already know, you can tell from inside the car that a blinker is not working, because when you turn it on, the indicator flashes faster than normal. Grant bought a new bulb. When he opened the hood to replace it, the engine block was full of leaves and other trash. He then grabbed the wire leading to the bulb assembly and it felt unusually slack. The wire was loose because it had been chewed clean through, and was now in two pieces! That squirrel built a nest in our car, frayed wires, and ate the plastic box holding our battery. Before I brought the car in to the dealer for repair, I removed a plastic shopping bag full of leaves, newspaper, paper towels, tape, and anonymous bits of our car.

The wire harness was repaired, but the battery box left as is, which ended up costing us about seventy dollars. I informed the IDF and insisted that the other parkers were notified. That did happen, but the organization’s response was, essentially, that it was a random act of nature and there was nothing to be done. I also tried to get advice from Twin City Honda’s service personnel on how to keep squirrels out of our car, and was told Honda recommends using moth balls. Surprisingly, Honda has an official response on how to deal with rodents because it is an established problem. Service bulletins exist for the Odyssey and Accord models dealing with rodent damage to the knock sensor wiring harness. I did my own research on the internet, and found this blog entry regarding mice wreaking havoc in an Audi TT. It has over 200 comments, many from angry Honda owners! The rumor going around is that the plastic used in Honda cars is made from soy, thus attracting rodents. Further searching turned up various strategies to keep rodents out of your car–moth balls, Bounce dryer sheets, peppermint oil, dog urine, human urine, powdered wolf urine–but the general consensus was that most methods don’t work against squirrels, and who wants their car smelling like urine and napthalene anyways?

We continued parking there, naively assuming it was a one-time event. The day before we were to drive from Illinois to upstate New York, we got in the car at 5:30 pm and the left blinker wasn’t working. Grant and I looked at each other, aghast. We opened the hood of the car, and it was dismal: the squirrel had eaten away at the battery box, ripped up every wire harness in sight, and did not even bother to make a nest–just tore up our car, and left. The service department at Twin City Honda was closed, but I spoke to one individual who said that with so many wires frayed, the car was a fire hazard and should not be driven anywhere. But we had a lot of driving to do the next day. We picked up a rental car and left the CR-V in Twin City’s parking lot, all of this quickly done before dark, because I was afraid the car might explode if I tried to turn the lights on, and even the rear brake lights were not working. We enjoyed our trip while driving a peppy little Toyota Matrix.

Ultimately the squirrel damaged six different wire harnesses that power air compressors, wipers, lights, and so on. The battery box was also replaced, as it was eaten beyond recognition. So far that squirrel has cost us over seven hundred dollars, not to mention our convenient parking spot. But I do feel lucky in a way–for the blogger whose Audi TT was ruthlessly tortured by mice, it took $18,000 and a long time in the shop to repair the damage to his car. Rodent damage is covered by some, but not all, insurance providers. Maybe you should ask your agent about it.

This year I was heavily involved in organizing and creating new exhibits for the Power and Energy Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Special thanks to Brian Raczkowski for organizing and updating exhibits, the 2007 ECE431 class for attending booths, and to the IEEE and Grainger Center for funding.

Below are brief videos of each exhibit. I apologize if you are not acknowledged for your exhibit, many items have unknown histories. Please email or leave a comment if this is the case.

ROBOTIC ETCH A SKETCH
Nathanial Hakes, Jason Wells
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJIC5bUHXY[/video]

LINEAR INDUCTION MOTOR
Jason Wells
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGH_36RAdOQ[/video]

TIN CAN INDUCTION MOTOR
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqUJJLS241I[/video]

HUMAN POWER
Grant Pitel
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OB7Ab1K2-U[/video]

SPEAKER STROBOSCOPE PWM AMPLIFER
Rob Balog
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liBVoeIJgEg[/video]

EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE
Zeb Tate
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei2qLjod_eg[/video]

DIROD ELECTROSTATIC GENERATOR
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0vZ9m3-l5E[/video]

FLOATING FRYING PAN
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJzCy8hhnZY[/video]

MAGNETIC RING CANNON
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FBUuhHbnv4[/video]

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