I just want to quickly introduce the new Shafter 2.0 Beta. Note that this version is not as finished as version 1.1. Also note that this version hasn’t been completely tested. If you find any problems, let me know. That’d be very helpful. A lot of work has gone into this version, and I wanted to post at least a preview before I delay this release further.
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The text string LUFBBFISGJYS describes the strange attractor fractal at the right, and LUFBBFISGJYS is also the name of the C# program that generated it. The program contains many 3-dimensional and a few 2-dimensional fractals. The user may easily interact with each fractal by modifying its parameters (by pressing the UP & DOWN keys) in order to discover new forms and shapes.
Executable (.Net, Windows) Source Code (C#, VS 2010)
Download Shafter 1.1 >> Preview Shafter 2.0 Beta (Latest Version)
It was about time that I updated good old Shafter, wasn’t it? I would have liked to have done so last weekend, but I was a little busy. This update was prompted by feedback that I received from Shafter v1.0, and I encourage everyone to let me know about cool additional features that I should include in future releases. It is always good to hear encouragements too. (:
Introduction to Shafter
Shafter is a lightweight computer program that generates Shear Bending Moment Diagrams, which are useful to Mechanical Engineers. Shafter is able to plot the effect of concentrated forces, distributed forces, and moments when they are applied to a one-dimensional beam. Shafter is meant to be easy and painless to use. Considerable effort has been invested in the generation of aesthetically pleasing diagrams and user interface, which is an important part of the user experience. Most of the input required by Shafter is entered through very intuitive and short code, as I have described before, and as you can see in the right hand side of the screenshot below.
Shafter 1.1 Post (Newest Version)
Download Shafter 1.0 (Old Version)
In an earlier post, I published a shear bending moment diagram generator (calculator) as a web application, and here I make it available as a downloadable Windows executable.
It’s easy to use Shafter to make good-looking diagrams, and no installation is necessary. Just download the executable link above, extract the contents from the zipped folder, and then double-click on the “shafter.exe” file. Finally, generate your own diagrams from simple commands that you specify on the right hand side of the window, as you can see on the screenshots.
>> Go To Online Bending Moment Diagram Generator
>> Preview Shafter 2.0 Beta
For a downloadable, more intuitive and up-to-date version of this generator, see my later post on Shafter v1.1 (Updated on October 10, 2011). If you just want web access to the generator, continue reading.
Click on image to go to the diagram generator.
This web application generates shear force and bending moment diagrams using graphics similar to those used in textbooks. (Indeed the downloadable version includes diagrams based on samples from a popular textbook…) The web application runs fully within most internet browsers and platforms, and it does not require any additional downloads or software.
Click on the image to the right to go to the diagram generator page.
The application supports concentrated forces, distributed forces, and moments. (The length of the beam can also be changed.)
The tool is most useful in Mechanical Engineering courses like Mechanics of Materials.
I wrote ProfPage to make it easy for professors to create and maintain simple websites. The program can be used to create many types of websites but it was mainly designed to contain contact information, research/publications listings, class lists, and class materials.
Within minutes, the program helps you create HTML files and a folder structure that is intuitive to understand and modify. No HTML coding is necessary. Pages and contents are easily added through a graphical user interface.
The Blind Monkey is back. While the last game was a strategy game (Although you might not have noticed, there is indeed a randomized strategy to win. Randomly moving back and forth is not a strategy.), this time the Monkey plays an action game.
Get the apple to earn points before the timer runs out. There is no time to make mistakes.
(Note: There is currently a bug that does not allow you to restart once you lose, unless you close the game. Sorry, this is just a preview, and the bug will be fixed soon.)
Blind Monkey NP 2 Executable
Our simulation of Tomasulo’s algorithm is different from any other in that it is very user friendly; it parses code from text; and it is visually oriented through our Gantt chart approach.
Simulator main screen.
We implemented Tomasulo’s algorithm in C# for the .Net Framework as part of a graduate class (Advanced Computer Architecture) project at UT Pan American. Our program features a small but flexible instruction set (ld, sd, set, add, mul, div, and j), and it features a unique Gantt chart visualization of the simulated execution cycles. Our program also has a built-in parser with some limited color coding.
Gantt chart output.
Our simulation of Tomasulo’s algorithm is different from any other in that it is very user friendly; it parses code from text; and it is visually oriented through our Gantt chart approach. Using the Gantt chart, one can easily tell what instructions are being executed and stalled, as well as what instruction is causing the stall. Stall, Read, and Write-back cycles are indicated by color-coding in the Gantt chart. These qualities make our program very suitable to teach and learn Tomasulo’s algorithm.
“Always remember the blind monkey tree…”
–Anonymous.
It’s not a legend anymore. See it in action, and let the blind monkey effortlessly solve almost any problem in non-polynomial time.
Download the executable or the source if you want to compile it yourself (you’ll need VS2010). I’m hosting the file on my own website, glerok.com.
Don’t forget to unzip it and turn your volume up so you can immerse yourself in the bleak, distant land of blind monkey, tree, and apple.
Please leave your comments here, I really want to know what you all think…