Becoming an Engineer

iPhone 3.0.1 Activation Fix

Steven J. Biars — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:48:37 +0000

Many people (myself included) went ahead and upgraded to Firmware 3.0.1 without thinking twice. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a data plan and you’re working with a phone that has been jailbroken, you’re going to need to reactivate your phone again. Currently, there are no fixes for redsn0w to address this, so consider this my tutorial. NOTE: I have provided links all software, firmware, and bootloaders in the how-to below. Additionally this tutorial applies to iPhones that are already jailbroken and are currently running firmware 3.0

First, download the latest version of redsn0w. After you’ve done this, proceed as follows:

1.) Make a backup of your phone.
2.) Install firmware 3.0.1
3.) Download firmware 3.0 and bootloaders 3.9 and 4.6
4.) Use redsn0w to patch firmware 3.0 (select “unlock” and “cydia” only)
5.) Reboot your iPhone and let iTunes restore your data from a backup.

Success! In the process of restoring your contacts, photos, and apps, iTunes will automatically upgrade your firmware to 3.0.1 (previously downloaded) and you will not have to worry about jailbreaking your iPhone again because the original jailbreak remains intact.

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Slide Rule Simulator!

Steven J. Biars — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:48:32 +0000

I’ve added several new slide rule simulators here:

http://engineer.cc/tools/sliderules.html

Enjoy. I hope to update this blog more frequently now that my class schedule isn’t as hectic. We’ll see what happens though. Until then, enjoy learning how to use a slide rule.

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My friend, the millionaire.

Steven J. Biars — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:40:04 +0000

When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe it. One of my friends is now a millionaire. First, let me start by saying that it couldn’t have happened to a better guy. If anyone at our university should have won it, it was Andrick.

Andrick Humphreys said he had a “small hunch” that he was going to win; he needed money to pay for the college degree that he will receive in December. Humphreys’ small hunch led to winning $15,000,000 in the Sept. 16 Mega Millions’ drawing. The Army veteran is a relatively new player of Ohio Lottery games. Humphreys said he’s feeling a little strange, but excited, to be a big winner. He has been telling his friends that he needed to win the lottery before December to pay for his Bachelor of Arts in History from Shawnee University in Portsmouth.

Humphreys chose the annuity. Before mandatory federal and state taxes totaling 31 percent, he will gross $600,000 the first year. For the remaining 25 years, he will gross $576,000 annually.

Humphreys purchased the winning ticket at Jeep Fuel in South Webster, using the auto-lotto option. The winning numbers were 13-24-39-51-52. The Mega ball number was 44.

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Isn’t it wonderful?

Steven J. Biars — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:30:51 +0000

Isn’t it wonderful to be a week and a half away from graduation and not knowing what will happen in one of your classes? I think so. It took me 13 weeks to get a tutor in a class that is 15 weeks long. I have a professor that seems to be unwilling to explain certain topics in the class, thus, my problem. Educators should be held to a higher standard.

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Graduate Applications

Steven J. Biars — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 05:54:05 +0000

Applying for grad school is tough… especially when you’re months behind the competition. Those of you that have been following my blog know exactly what I’m talking about, so I’ll spare you the long story. Anyhow, my graduate pursuits have lead me to apply to:

Ohio State University
Ohio University
West Virginia University
Marshall University

In all, this has cost a little over $200, which is pretty expensive considering I get rather sparse hours these days. In the end, I’m sure it will all be worth it.

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Math Maniac

Steven J. Biars — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:06:15 +0000

My brain is mush, soft and gray.
The mania has come my way.
I’ve cut apart more things to slices,
than Jack the Ripper care suffices.
I do not drink and then derive,
I think this keeps my grades alive.
Of all the answers I’ve contrived,
and equations I’ve split asunder,
The denominator stays down under.
Calculators are like blasphemy,
to the purest religion in history.
When I duly think my day is done,
Homework till returns the sun,
The day anew, and sleep revived,
To class a minute late, arrived.
I’m lost in space, and loosing time.
My neurons look like fireflies.
But do not look into my eyes,
The mania survives.

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Partial Victory

Steven J. Biars — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:46:29 +0000

Today, the gods of academia bestowed the nessicary course waiver/substitution documents to allow me to graduate. This is nothing short of fantastic, since I’ve been trying to get the math department to acknowledge this issue for almost 6 months and more specifically, attempting to get the waiver/sub for the past two months.

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Sometimes I’m rather random.

Steven J. Biars — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:28:51 +0000

Me: “Do you want to learn some basic physics?”
Donny: “sure”
Me: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”
Donny: “right…”
Me: “And sometimes it hurts worse”

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Geocache With a Garmin StreetPilot c330 GPS

Steven J. Biars — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:55:53 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Download and install the Garmin POI Loader software from garmin.com. Click Support, Software Updates, Additional Software, StreetPilot c330, then POI Loader for Windows.

Step2: Pick one or more Geocaches on Geocaching.com which you would like to find.

Step3: Download the GPX file for each Geocache. Just click the GPX Exchange File link on the Geocache Details page. Or, use a Pocket Query to select up to 500 caches at once using various criteria. You can create Pocket Queries on Geocaching.com (requires a paid, premium membership). Just login, click My Account, then click Build Pocket Queries. The combined GPX file will be emailed to you–usually within a few minutes.

Step4: Save the GPX file or files into one folder on your computer.

Step5: Connect the GPS to the computer with a USB cable.

Step6: Start the POI Loader program. It will open a wizard which detects the GPS and allows you to select the folder containing the GPX files. Finally, it downloads the caches to the GPS, replacing any existing custom points of interest.

Step7: On the GPS, tap Menu, Where To, My Locations, then Custom POIs. The 50 Geocaches closest to your current location will be listed. To find other caches, tap Spell and enter the Geocache’s Code (GCxxxxx).

Step8: When you get close to the cache’s location, it may be difficult to pinpoint because the GPS assumes you’re driving and snaps the blue ‘you are here’ arrow to the nearest road. Just tap Where To, My Locations, Custom POIs, and select the Geocache. Then, instead of tapping Go, tap Show Map. Tap the + button to zoom all the way in.

Tips & Warnings

You can upload Geocaches directly to the GPS from the cache’s details page on Geocaching.com. These will appear as Favorites in the GPS. However, the GPS will only store 50 favorites and they must be deleted one-at-a-time before adding more.

Upgrading the GPS’ firmware from garmin.com may allow for more than 50 favorites.

The c330 has about 2GB of memory for holding maps and custom POIs. If you load the USA maps, there is still room for many thousands of POIs. Although maps may be stored in a removeable SD memory card, POIs can only be stored in main memory.

Software like the Geocaching Swiss Army Knife from gsak.net can be used to organize your GPX files and keep track of which ones you’ve found.

Make sure you know how to get back to your car after finding the cache. Just tap Menu, Where To, My Locations, then Save to save your current location before leaving your vehicle.

Your exact location is shown, not by the tip of the blue ‘you are here’ arrow, but by the middle of the flat end of the arrow.

Conserve battery power by lowering the brightness level or by turning off the GPS until it is needed. Tap Menu, then the sun icon in the lower right corner to set the brightness.

You must keep moving for the blue ‘you are here’ arrow to update and show your direction. Standing still and swinging the GPS around has no effect.

The c330 has a built-in rechargeable battery which lasts about 4 hours, but it can also be powered by a USB cable or its main power source, the cigarette lighter.

Since this is primarily a car GPS, it is not waterproof and may not be suitable for hiking in bad weather or through water.

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Weekly Wisdom #1

Steven J. Biars — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:31:03 +0000

“I worry that, especially as the Millennium edges nearer, pseudo-science and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive. Where have we heard it before?

Whenever our ethnic or national prejudices are aroused, in times of scarcity, during challenges to national self-esteem or nerve, when we agonize about our diminished cosmic place and purpose, or when fanaticism is bubbling up around us-then, habits of thought familiar from ages past reach for the controls.

The candle flame gutters. Its little pool of light trembles. Darkness gathers. The demons begin to stir.”

–Carl Sagan (The Demon-Haunted World)

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