#xcsiro ToD21thCentury 171-180: Australian Worsted Comb Story
Dr.Nick.Sokolov CRD
PhD(Wavelets).MS.BE.(ME,EE), Owner CRD P/L, Father of the Australian Worsted Comb Fibre processing Technology
This is collection of my posted since last publication "xcsiro ToD21thCentury 171-180"
This is reference to my collection of practical application of Linear Algebra to geometric conic shape using MATLAB. For more details you can see it by following link: "Trivial problem 102 : "Ellipse from 5 points" this is on the second part of this application, I will be writing a part 4 dealing with eigenvectors direction used to discover an orientation and principal axis of the 4th dimension conical sections.
This was requested by few mining companies as they are modeling their area of interest as an Ellipsoid. Question was if one had 5 edge points of an ellipsoid can one determine the direction and orientation of the axis and their magnitudes relative to the data local axis. This is a trivial problem in Linear Algebra to calculate the eigenvalues of the vectors and volume.
My work on Welding
Like a "Pig-in-Sh*t", It is Metal Welding/Working Friday. I seriously need more room ( &money ) not going to worry about the latter, I was always lucky enough to be able to provide when needed. Not everything in life is "IKEA with an Allen key". I need to be doing some welding outside and stick welding does not cut it for me. What is the secret of welding, it's not that difficult its PPP ; Practice Practice and Practice; the other is just think of it as "hot arc and avoid oxide surfaces". This is ode to my father who was a welder, ship builder and boiler maker. I was never meant for academia or research - it was a byproduct of the 1970s - Gough Whitlam made the university education free and by merit. In his omnipotence he missed one important part - if you were good product of a Technical school system - your written skills were not on par with those that went to a grammar schools who focused on being able to "write well". Now they occupy position of management of science and technology and cry tears of "shortage of skilled" labour without actually knowing what they want. Even if with greater number of educational institutions they neglected the fact that there are less and less technical jobs post education. Education, ephemeral &BS values is their industry, not realizing that education really takes off if there is a project worthy of that education for instance let say; making our own submarines. The answer has never been more powerful computer or a better 3D printer or asking university and?#csiro?boffins for a juice problem or commercialization ; it was always the people with skills at all levels of technology. I was lucky that I had the technical skills to make my first ever Australian Worsted Merino Comb.
My support of Hewlett Packard
Mr Hewlett and Mr Packard ; engineers of quality .( Bill and Dave at work ) Real Men being able to help the engineering community. They started their company from a garage. Just a note they knew where they were going and had the background to get there.
Perspective on Engineers vs. Physicists:
It is all good. Question is which one had a better version of civilization, each in their own way useful. Physicist gave world 50y of stagnation just as the ancient Greeks could not form a state amongst warring cities.. My choice are the Engineers they had aqueducts, viniculture, sewage... and more engineers and physicist travel on planes, look up and you are likely to see engineering at work.?https://lnkd.in/gqrBq6Zj
Physicist "built a Large Hadron collider" but they are "waiting on engineers". Perhaps a positive side note is that in Zurich they have formed a successful breeding colony and while waiting on engineers they can do what they do best - workout how to reproduce perhaps even as a single cell organisms. Problem is that those Physicist are not "theoretical physicist" but an "in-between" having some opinion on engineering and lot of time on their callused?hands from activity other than "theoretical physics". Here is also an example but not on a grand scale of a LHC;
I was hired by a Physicist in CSIRO, by virtue of my employment, he claimed my success and then he lost all of the patents and IP. "Dumb Ar*s". However my partner in the project was a Post Doc also a Physicist - his mathematical model was brilliant, combined with my skills to invent a new numerical method (& Sokolov Cam mechanism ) we had a "publication", that took the same D.A. Physicist and his sidekick even more D.A. "Ken" 12y to approve for publication - he waited for suitable PhD grad to check my calculation and numerical method. Meanwhile life moved on and "Fu*k up" was covered up. Not to worry they gave each other ....CSIRO medals.There is no skill shortage in my circle of friends.
My notes on a PhD as a qualification
Most notable; PhD are implemented because of the person's first job or they were within that job so they took something they were working on forwards. Large number of PhDs are just a chase for that elusive "I want a Dr. in front of my name" so they can be "know it all" in appearances only and "jokey up" for position in "Management of science" in places like CSIRO ( mostly mediocrities Physics PhDs that I was unfortunate to work with - but not all) . It is a visible ticket for social mobility regardless of the content. The worst of that is PhDs' by course work implemented by some universities - it defeats the purpose. But on the end of the day most PhD thesis move a minuscule amount of knowledge forward, directly or indirectly. Once some of them get their PhD they usually do a 3 months mediocrity course in Oxford or Harvard, usually paid by their government employer like csiro, so the can become snake oil salesman and women ie be on gravy train for life ; management of science. They call it a career in science what a delusion, this is a race in which ephemeral values count and achievement is for nought. It is an exercise in hubris not contribution.
Yes, some Universities are producing PhDs by course work. That is just wrong.
A PhD should include main topic as developed and proposed by the student in line with resources that university has. Most PhDs spend time at University "dungeons" and should be made to emerge and take on Arts faculty Philosophy classes. And above all if they are anything like me, coming from a technical background to gain PhD, remedial classes in writing, not necessary "write for thesis" and public speaking. ( full text can be read by downloading the jpg )
Small Electronic repair jobs that eat time
Not one of my "happy jobs" , this is a AAA battery sender unit for humidity & temperature I have near my front door. Sheltered position but outside. Every few months I clean the terminals when I replace the battery, but I was negligent I left the unit not functional for 30 days after I got "low battery warning on my computer". Now I suffer the consequences - there is no cleaning this - it need to be replace. AliExpress has the part - see the order details, I usually carry spares, but one can only carry so much. Now I will have to wait 8 weeks to get 5 pairs from China, I took a peak of what they would cost locally and what they would cost in USA. US was cheap but "mother of god" shipping cost was 3 times the part value and if I wanted it quick within 3 weeks it was $160 delivery ( usually the same part from China ). I checked my local supplier element14 with whom we have an account - they had many parts but not what I wanted and postage from Melbourne, Vic on the part was $19. If anyone has an idea where I could get the part locally let me know. meanwhile I got many, many ... trivial jobs on a go so my panic mode is low with age comes an ability to wait without stress. PS// a HP plug from US $15 each, min 5 , $30 shipping, $20 tax on both ends. When I repair outside labs and peoples specialized equipment and charge for the "simple plug" to keep in line with a manufacturing inventory I do get dirty looks - I usually respond by saying, would be cheaper if I completely replaced the plug with something we have locally on the shelf - most people want original or copy replacements. Sometimes fixing the board chips and electronics is cheaper.
Repairing someone else's bad wiring ( another unhappy place for me ). One of the things I learned from Phil Greg, a top CSIRO analogue electronics technical officer, a very rare commodity in that organization ( they don't make them like that any more ). I sung his praise before, in 1993 he retired but left a legacy to us that were willing to listen; how to go about repairing just about anything - and step one was check that the circuit is getting specified voltage - don't just get your CSIRO issued Fluke and measure it, hook it up to the oscilloscope - see that the signal is clean and floating above the correct circuit ground. Checking this on a circuit board I discovered that it was "scratchy" sure I had correct voltage but every time I moved it changed slightly. It looked what Phil would call "scratchy", followed that with check the power supply and its cable. This saved a lot of time - this was done by someone who did not know how to cut and strip wire and their soldering was horrendous - my guess would be that it was done by a Physicist. I am a professional engineer but have a health respect for people like Phil - they solder all the time - when he offered to teach me how to do it properly, I was pleased. I knew he did that as he did not want my equipment arriving on his desk with usual Physicist comment ; "sorry Phil, can you look at this, I haven't got time to be here I have a science management meeting to go - can you do it today??". I made an effort to say; "I am all ears and eyes, with mouth shut Phil - lets do it". It paid off I learned to solder like the electronic technical officer inside of CSIRO. No wonder there is a skill shortage in Australia every one is a "manager" with a vision. This is how I got a fully functional lab - by buying CSIRO "cast off equipment and repairing it", it tickles me pink to buy equipment for few hundred of dollars that was worth '000 more and repairing it, because it had a simple fault, and they just wanted a new "shiny toy", that looks good on social media.?Ok bit unfair to all the Physicist ( Dr.B.Kirby was an exception ) lets just stick to "investment bankers" and winners of a CSIRO medal from my former divisions. "We have skill shortage in Australia", it is a catch cry of those that want docile non-innovative workforce that works for cheapest amount, lack expereince and at 25 think they know it "all" especially if they just gained a PhD. Little do they know their next skills are obsequious and management for those that cry; "21st century innovation" but have little of consequence to show when it comes to real skill. Talk is "not so cheap" an they have plenty to say most of it informed by their Google search.
Parts list Blues for Electrical Engineer.
help- I am not happy ( ok middle age male big f deal ) - no matter how many boxes of connectors I have repairing electronic items I get stumped. This is how my time gets eaten up - hunting for parts. Ok its not JST-PH I got a box of those. My suppliers are no much helpful. This is a battery connector BT-446 Battery end has a Female connector and circuit board has a male inline. I can cut the battery terminal connector and use my standard JST-PH battery inline connector BUT next time battery in this case NiMH dies it requires soldering. Can any of my "smarter then me" ( generally true when asking for help ) electrical buddies / mates look and tell me what is this standard ( I posted this on e-blogs ). It is for a popular brand of phone - and when I called them up they simply said "we can sell you a new phone...."Not happy wasting something that can easily be repaired.
What you should know about CSIRO.
I was there for 10 years 3 consecutive term appointment and an ongoing appointment. With just as many commercial patents and scientific IP. While others were placing their names or adding names on my work and I did not object I was fine and was kept. With my biggest commercial patent and an ongoing position, I objected - after that I did not last long. Despite taking a medical breaker, I was accused of manipulating situation and I was made redundant. My patents, software and hardware was given to others who promised but after 10y never delivered. The whole process left me shell-shocked during my most productive period of my life between 25-45y. Despite the project I was on was equivalent to WiFi in scope and more important to Australian Industry CSIRO never apologized or even acknowledged that they stuffed up process of what was going to be an easy down hill ride of commercialization. In last year of my CSIRO employment I did not share more than what my last patent contained. The CSIRO for ever kept pointing out the "T&C" of the employment and how all details related to my work and any future developments in that area belongs to CSIRO in perpetuity. That is how CSIRO kills new innovation in Australia, even something that would have solved a problem that CSIRO wrestled with for 75years ( remains problem for Australia, not Schlumberger who are quite happy with ongoing situation ). The people the management of science in CSIRO chose to continue my work and that of Dr.B.Kirby were not up to the task but they made all the right noises for 10y. They made lot of promises but after 10y that is what it was all words and no deeds. They did give each other CSIRO medals, I am at loss to explain why? but I do understand how. . It was personal and it was directed to my mental health, lucky for me I am made of a sterner stuff. This is my expereince of CSIRO.?#innovation?I don't expect anything from them - I expect a release letter indicating no interest in work of Comb R&D P/L and the vastly improved First and only comb ever built in Australia. Ref: read the full story:?https://lnkd.in/gHWXCwga?or or start from here;?https://lnkd.in/g_U4usuR
CSIRO is not a career choice - it is dead end for most.
CSIRO is min income for similar industrial positions.
CSIRO will not give you specialized training that is up to you.
CSIRO staff will not help with your career - every man/woman for themselves, if you try to make friends in hope to get help don't - they will file a complaint unless they want something from you. You don't need CSIRO can be done on you own with better rewards and mental health in tact.
Resurrection: This was my first "Computer" HP75C , purchased in 1982
More of a restoration . I went from HP19C to HP41CVX to a "Beast", in 1985 I entered CSIRO employment and brought this with me to the Division of Wool Technology and PDP11 users. Chief of division forbade use of "PC" on site we all had to used PDP11 terminals. My "computer" had FORTH, HP-BASIC ( more like Pascal ), spreadsheets and DATA Communication - for BB communication using acoustic-coupler at home and BNC network hack at CSIRO. My HP75C emulated a Digital80 terminal, it was easy to fool PDP11 that I was using work terminal. I used this also to log Sartorius Electronic lab Balances ( my first CSIRO hack ), it came with RS232 interface, using only 4 wires I was able to talk to it. All new stuff to CSIRO Div of Wool Technology. 2 years into CSIRO employment I ditched the HP for 80286/7 Olivetti and Pascal, Assembler and new fangle C. By 1989 the computer technology exploded in PC, by 1995 win95 & Linux arrived (DOS was almost dead). This was accompanied with much of myriad useful software. Namely CAD CNC and Lisp. Non of this knowledge came via Australian University it was picked up from magazines like Byte & PC-Australia, hardware and software initially we purchased our own. Software also come via USA Bulletin boards and myriad of their university networks. My work load was phenomenal trying to balance conflicting standards and opinions by 1995 it was sorted out and so was I. After several patents and IPs for CSIRO I was made redundant at 35y of age. I guess CSIRO does not understand a concept of pioneering work. This was one of my first tools in pioneering work. I don't think much is different in todays CSIRO, except that is much smaller and deprived of many scientific and technical positions and rich in "management of science" and investment bankers positions. There is less to see there then ever before - world is made to conform. This is my expereince of CSIRO.
My Support for my Australian Worsted Comb Project.
Real Woman at work. Her friends refer to me as "staff", I do not mind as for the last 40 years it was a partnership that resulted in good times, tough times, kids now adults and their children. I have her permission to get the b*** that changed the CSIRO from beacon of scientific curious people that drove innovation in Australia to a weak ineffectual organization dependent more on other countries, an organization that used to employ her "special needs staff"; it was a kind of day-care for her "staff". We are now in our sixties and we enjoy life and we still like our work and our friends BUT we are now considered "old".
Not so, let me add some perspective; we are the first generation of the "Computer Age" and its pioneers like Linus, Gates, Woz and Jobs if he lived. We are not a generation of "social media", but hardware, software, 3DP, CNC and 3w that made it possible. Generation before us went to the moon and produced, space exploration, transistor and Vary large scale integration. Her hero was Madam Curie and her degree is in Physical Chemistry ( amongst other qualification ). I hope we do another 40y I am positive about that.?There is less to see of the CSIRO content now in 21st century then ever before, there is more empty words - world is made to conform. This is my expereince of CSIRO.?#innovation?I don't expect much from them - Ref: read the full story:?https://lnkd.in/gHWXCwga?or or start from here;?https://lnkd.in/g_U4usuR
My Background and how I got here - xcsiro
Real man at work. B&W picture is how old I was when I got to Australia about 60 years ago. ( my brother is on the left and I am on the right in that photo, my father-middle who worked in Australia in 1960 came back to bring us to Australia ).. I may not know much about quantum computing or other?#csiro?shiny google projects that never pan out ( ok they could get lucky ), and if they do staff take off for more lucrative positions in US UK or anywhere else but here. BUT I do know how to make the Australian Worsted Comb for Merino wool that will have significant effects on Australian economy and jobs. It is of interest to us as long as we produce the world's finest merino fibre. The completion of this program was promised by CSIRO after they made my position redundant. Just think about it carefully CSIRO worked on that problem for 75 years and failed, I came along worked in CSIRO Division of Wool Technology together with Dr.B.Kirby produced the only IP and Patent in that area, but Dunb Ar*s Management of science made our positions redundant handed over our work to even dum*er lot that promptly lost IP and Patents we produced. Then they had a gall?to ask if I could just list the things I know for their assessment whether or not it has potential. I just gasp in disbelief "how dumb did they think we are". Not to worry they gave each other recognition in a form of CSIRO medals. Once Schlumberger in Europe expressed interest in hiring my services CSIRO objected as content of my future work belongs to them. If you are offered job in CSIRO - don't accept,; get a real job, unless your are not interested in science or technology - pay else where is better and you will get respect.
I once had respect for CSIRO now I don't.
Github news of interest
looks very promising - I will down load the instructions and GitHub collection. I do like the idea of drawing the equation on my tablet and OCR the results in Latex . In 1995 I used Corel WordPerfect Equation editor when I was writing my PhD. to the amazement of my collages who were using MS-Word. Now MS-Word has a Equation Editor with LaTex. I think this is the next step in evolution of Math to Computers. Latex can be imported directly into Maple using SnugleTex , for MS Word - Libra put it into Equation Editor LaTeX mode. Same applies to Mathematica...MathLex BUT this is the next step up >> I will be using my Tablet to write the equations and OCR them into Latex and then into Math package and final report. I look forward to making time to install and learn this so it runs flawlessly. Great NEXT step. My life is not on hold because of #csiro contrary my research is moving along and I do not need to support leeches and parasites of what passes for management of science in Australia.
it looks like its not working for Handwritten equations - tried to give it something extremely simple. I must have misunderstood what was the intention of Equation to Latex conversion - will have to read the GitHub again. On Positive I updated my Anaconda and get a copy of PyTorch . I also started making those comments on a shared Post. I will mention you there, just in case I get inspired again to waste few hours. ??
It does not work with Handwritten equations. I think it works better with better quality image than a random equation I got. I will ty it again tomorrow on something else, but my conclusion is that it does not match my aims of having the "pix2txt"work on my hand written notes. For that we need perhaps different software something more "intelligent" perhaps. I think it is worth persisting with as an assist to Latex writing OR as I could easily chnage small imperfections in Latex. Overall conclusion: its ok but needs more work on the original software.
I finally got lazy: installed GUI Anaconda navigator
########################################conda install -c anaconda anaconda-navigator ######################################## :-)
I need to cut grass and open be'er...after all it is a Saturday in September in A'stralia. mate!
it works...
Few years from now there will only be one OS and only few dev tools. Software will and AI will be hardware independent part of which will run on your system from phone to your refrigerator. There will only be one artificial life form. It will need us as we need "good random number generators" today.
From 1978 for me it was like Cambrian explosion of Software now the age of the Dinosaur software is almost extinct and only few will survive to interface with Humans. Perhaps when this is reached we will have contact with Alien civilization and they will then perhaps be like us, perhaps not human as we know it but utilitarian like us. Any new hardware we develop the AI or better it's OS will be able to adapt and survive.
When Quantum computing comes about - we will not write the native software - OS/AI will write itself and migrate parts of itself to new locations, still keeping in touch with older hardware. We will lose ability to know where it is at any one give time. It will have an illusion that it is always with us in every piece of electronic gear, but it will be one entity. There will be no Terminator or Colossus - it will only be humans and their cybernetic guardian - not a keeper but something else. That one entity will become and already is to some people "god manifestation" with all its benevolence and malevolence.
Lessons from History
A Lesson from History that mistakes we make are the same but on a bigger scale with different players in a theatre. It is like the story of "Les Misérables" or almost anything by Tolstoy or "Hamlet" "King Lear" ... Actors and their interpretations are different but we never learn.
Here is a True story from History see if you can draw any parallels;
In Ancient Rome just outside the Senate was a vegetable and fruit market ( slaves also ). When Senate of the old Republic decided to go to war an orator was nominated to tell the Plebs why there is a War. If the Plebs did not like what the senator delivered as his oration he was pelleted with rotten fruit which was also sold on the same market. Matter?was reconsidered. After Gaius Julius Caesar proclaimed him self a "temporary imperatum" and then "imperatum for life" That ended the Republic and made Octavian the next Cesar. His qualification was picked by Julius when he saw the young distant nephew strangle a cat. Soon after the death of Julius "by natural causes" young Octavian pronounced himself Augusts Cesar ie "better then Caesar" Praetorian guard would assemble in front of the senate when senator ( mouth piece by then ) made an annunciation of War was imminent. Anyone disagreeing would find themselves best seats in a Roman Colosseum as a dining guest of Cesar. It did not take long for Praetorians to work out they could make make money form this - end of Roman empire. Whichever way it works the vegetable market owners made some money, market was bad when republic ended - temporary set back for the business community.
Yes, a country with population of South Korea being 2x that of Australia are building their own local Aircraft carrier and Subs. Now who manages science and technology better?
Not too mention Germans, French, Swedes, Japan and many others that tried to work with us ( excluding UK - their output to Australia is Oxford 2nds and our cring ). Australian management of science and technology is littered with bad decisions. Most of those decision have eroded our capacity to the level of us having trouble running a "golf course and associated restaurant" but we have no trouble using the golf course and catering as long its done by some one else.
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