3D scan of Brian

3D scan done with a Xbox Kinect. Printed in ABS plastic.

The scan took about 30 seconds; the print took five and a half hours.

Sadly, I didn't fit the top of my head in the scan. It turned out to be an "empty-headed" mistake.

Lithium atom

Atom, printed in hydroperm, coated in Shellac. I don't know who originally designed this file. I just found it on the university computer and thought it would be an interesting test for a shellac coating.

Sun and Moon Mask

Printed this scan of a metal mask in hydroperm, and infused in paraffin wax. Original design by richgain on thiniverse.

Nautilus Gears

Printed these yesterday in ABS plastic. Original design by J_Hodgie on Thingiverse.

Metal Casting

During the Summer Quarter at the University of Washington, I took a class on metal casting. Here are a couple of pieces I made:

In copper:

And in aluminum: intersecting stars.

Hopefully, more to come!

3D Printer

This is the 3D printer I've been working on this quarter. It's based on designs for the Printrbot and The Wallace. And it's finally printing!

Printing Evolution.

Tesla

Tesla roadster randomly parked at the UW today. No idea who it belongs to.

Brianna Hit by a Car While Biking

Brianna got hit by a car while on her bike today. Got clipped on the left side, toward the rear of the bike. She's going to make a full recovery. Only one broken bone: a finger on her right hand, most likely from hitting the pavement. Lots of bruising on her legs, and some road rash. Emergency Room doc cleared her to go home, and we have follow-up appointments at the Everett Clinic.

Could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Wallace Falls

Brianna and I (and Eva) went for a hike to Wallace Falls. Waterfalls make an incredible sound!

Camping Trip in Sequim

Went on a camping trip in Sequim on the peninsula. Still kinda chilly out, but the skies were clear and it was nice to take a break from email and the like.

Returning from the peninsula on the ferry.

First Quarter Over

Well, finals are over. Getting back into a school mind-set was tough. Getting back into Calculus after not using it for three years was really tough. But I passed everything. Really enjoyed the class on Rapid Prototyping and Addative Manufacturing. Expect I'll continue to do more in that field in the future.

Just for fun, here's a snowman I drew implicitly with a single equation in Mathematica:

At Mukilteo Beach, after finals.

Live Map II

Ok, I'm trying this again. This time, Brianna and I are driving from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Everett, WA, along with all her things (she's moving to the Pacific Northwest). The weather is not supposed to be as nice as it was for me last time, so it might take a little longer, but ideally it will only be a two day trip. Let's see if I can set the map up correctly:

Update (Jan 16th, 2012, day after arrival): Another successful trip! We had some bad winds (gusts up to 50mph!) going through Wyoming, and Satus Pass through the Cascade Mountains was busy and wet, but we didn't actually hit any really bad driving conditions until the very end. It had snowed in Washington and some of the roads were icy, particularly the side streets. All told, it was a really smooth trip, although we were really glad to be out of the U-Haul cab by the end of it!

View Road Trip - bringing Brianna to Washington in a larger map

Grad School Update

I've been back in Washington State for just about 4 weeks now, and I've just completed my first week of grad school at the University of Washington. I've really enjoyed being back home in Washington, especially for the holidays! Grad school is going well - I have three math-focused classes: Mechanical Engineering Analysis, Finite Element Analysis, and Manifolds and Geometry for Systems and Control; and one fun course: Rapid Prototyping, which means playing with 3D printers :-D

Lots of math, and starting during winter quarter isn't doing me any favors in terms of being up to speed with the other students, but I'm enjoying myself!