Best News of the Century!!

I received a phone call this morning saying, "Congratulations, everything is FINE!!!" That means I am done. 10 years later, I am done with school!! Yahoo.

I'm trying to post an audio file of the voice mail message, but it's not working well. Google is supposed to be inventing a way to post your voice mails directly from your cell phone, but it's under construction or something and not available. Bummer.

Try clicking on the "enclosure link" (I don't even know what that is).

I'm Famous!!!

A list of 14 things that I love has been featured on Megan's blog as part of her 14 Days of Love project. Check it out here!

Hmmm....

Know how when you're getting a shot at the doctors or at the dentist and they always tell you to think of a happy place? What do people think of? I think most everyone probably thinks of Disneyland. When you're grown up they let you watch the needle, so that's what I do now.

ARG!

I think the second most stressful part of being a parent of small kids is getting them ready to go out the door (the worst stresser is waking up screaming at 2 am and then not going back to sleep). The getting-ready-to-go-out-the-door process exponentially complicates itself in the cold winter due to coats and shoes even though you might only be going 20 feet from your doorstep to the car, to another doorstep.

Late last night I was getting the three kids ready to leave my mom's house after the Jazz game. Maggie is at the age where she can dress herself 50 to 75% of the way, but then needs help with one thing or another. She was putting her coat on and had one arm in, but was struggling with the other. She was bending her arm back funny like happens sometimes and so she was missing the sleeve. She asked me for help, and silly mean old me, instead of having her readjust her arm, I just forced it until it went in the sleeve hole, at which point a loud pop was heard. She screamed "OWWW!!!" but didn't cry and her shoulder didn't look dislocated and she still had full range of motion, so being the proud, reassuring parent, I just rubbed it and said, you'll be OK.

So then this morning she was watching me put a coat on one of the twins. After I was done she said, "Good job brudder! Daddy not breaka your arm. Daddy breaka my arm Grandma's house." I had to laugh. She is a good sport. I am glad kids are made of rubber and they don't break that easily. I am surprised that none of them have had to have stitches yet. By the time I was their cumulative age (~6.5 years) I had had stitches at least 3 times.

Here are some pictures of the twins the Sunday before Christmas. Things started out good with a standoff-ish high five and went downhill from there.

 

Will is really good at arching his back. I think he will make a fine wrestler.

Engineering Tip #1

Since this is a blog devoted to the art and science of engineering, I decided I should post an engineering tip.

Today's tip is about broken back slopes. I know that sounds risque and improprietous, but it is not what you think, it is a real engineering term. Click here to google broken back slopes. We will break down a broken back slope to understand its features and then calculate an equivalent slope.

Everyone repeat out loud today's objective with me: We will break down a broken back slope to understand its features and then calculate an equivalent slope.

OK. Lets start by examining the case of a retaining wall. A retaining wall with an infinite slope is shown below. The wall height is H and the back slope rises from the horizontal at the angle B (beta). The angle of the backslope (beta) is used in a long equation ripe with trigonometry functions to calculate the active force coefficient of the retaining wall backfill soil that must retained. The equation is called Coulomb Active Pressure (click to see in Wikipedia - oh, and don't forget to donate).

Now we will look at a retaining wall with a broken back slope. If the horizontal distance of the slope to the point where the back slope breaks is less than 2 times H, we should calculate an equivalent back slope called B' (beta prime) to use in the Coulomb Active Pressure calculation. B' (beta prime) is the angle of a line extrapolated from the top of the retaining wall to a distance 2 times H behind the wall.

Please ask questions by clicking here.

Happy News!! It's a Girl!

Hogle Zoo's baby elephant has arrived!! Watch the video below. You can go to the Hogle Zoo website and see a list of possible names. I think they should name her KHARI (CAYR ee) Meaning: queenly; joyful song; born to bring joy. She will be ready for everyone to see Friday September 11!!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

The President's Speech

I hope that all of us can find the tolerance in our hearts and the common sense in our heads to hear and allow the President's speech to school children. The President will not be indoctrinating anything other than telling children that they can succeed and will succeed if they set goals for themselves. I don't want to offend people, but the majority of the people that I see on my facebook that are opposing the President's speech are the very people that could have used a message like this when we were in school. Maybe then they would have learned to be smart enough to use some common sense and be able to think for themselves.

I hope that all of us will respect the President for his role even though we may not agree with his political agendas or his personal habits. After all, I think most of us would agree that as a community "we believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." (Joseph Smith)

When I was a kid I asked my casually republican father what he thought of Bill Clinton. My dad sad that he didn't agree with the things that Bill Clinton may have done or believed in, but respected him as the president anyway. He said he learned that from his mother who cried at the death of President Kennedy even though she didn't vote for him. I just wish people would set aside their false rumors and paranoia and use a little common sense.