No Time

School: This semester is a killer, which is one reason I haven't been updating. The course is Engine Systems and Controls, which requires us to write engine controller programs in Matlab via Simulink. I actually like Simulink, its basically visual math, but I am having to learn it from scratch which makes the assignments a lot harder. Here is a picture of the air/fuel ratio controller used in our 4th assignment.

Work: The other reason I haven't had a chance to blog. In two weeks we begin production of the 2.8 liter engine I have been working on. There are always growing pains associated with launching a new engine in a new plant, but they take time. Today I have my first Production-Phase design review. I have had plenty of Development and Limited phase reviews, but this will the the first time I hold a cross functional review stating "this is why my parts should go to production." I am ready for it, so really it doesn't feel like that big of a deal.

Football: Ah yes, its college football season. If I have free time, I watch college football. Which is amazing to think that I can do this from a different continent. Its both televised on ESPN as well as ESPN360.com. I can plug my laptop into my TV and watch it that way, and the quality is still great. Plus, ESPN360 has "in demand" so if I miss a game I can still watch it later. Wisconsin is off to a 4-0 start. So far they've only had to play at home, so next weekends away game against Minnesota should be interesting. I havent had a chance to catch a Colts game yet. Their last 2 games have been at about 8PM Eastern, or 1AM here. It'll be nice to watch this week's game against Seattle. I've gotten a few Brits to come over and watch the game, and I get to try to explain it to them. Its tough to explain from scratch because there are so many rules that you just know, but they get it.