Hey all, I decided that I’d like to see what I can do to attract more viewers…and maybe even comments if I’m lucky. However, I want those viewers to see the content that is intended for larger consumption…and this blog has been kind of a mix of personal and project. So I decided to start a Posterous blog. It looks like it’s about the easiest kind of blog to use…I don’t need hundreds of features like you can get with WordPress. I need a low bar for difficulty to update. The primary method for updating posts on a Posterous blog is to email post@posterous.com with your next blog entry. Go ahead and try it, it’ll start a blog with just one email.

Anyway, if anyone is still here, my new project blog is here: http://nicholaspatrick.posterous.com

Age Related Population Structure (ALPS) is a nifty way to segregate different sections of an evolutionary algorithm. Using this method, you build in multiple sections that each have a maximum age limit. If a genotype reaches the age limit, it is checke to see if it is more fit than any individual in the next layer. The lowest layer is periodically refreshed with random initial conditions.

The stated reason for layers is to provide a method by which you can maintain genetic diversity in the population without getting stuck in a local optimum. I think you could get a similar type effect by creating fitness layered populations. Section off different members by fitness and only allow breeding at that layer or below. Of course, you could probably extend the concept even further by simply limiting individual breeding choices to individuals who have lower fitness and getting rid of layers entirely. I’d call this the ‘Popularity limited breeding method’. You can’t initiate breeding above your station.

Now, I’ve heard of hierarchical fitness layering, but I think there’s some synergy between the methods that could result in faster convergence on the global optimum. The multiple age layers allow for competition only with similar age solutions, but allows breeding with lower fitness individuals. Once an individual is too old for it’s layer, it either graduates to the next layer if it is fit enough, or it is retired. Another way of looking at this is that the rate of improvement of that strain of genetic material has leveled out enough that it isn’t worth exploring any more. So why not take the fitness layer concept and retire solutions when their average rate of improvement of fitness drops below their competition. Of course you’d want to keep your peak fitness individuals via elitism, but you shouldn’t need to keep all of the sub-optimal solutions when they loose their steam.

Any way, I haven’t tested my popularity contest method, so I have no idea of the merit.

High workload makes for low output on the side project.  I’ve been discovering lately just how much bandwidth I have.

The 787 has finally FLOWN!!!  Congratulations to Nick and all of his WA friends.  You guys all worked very hard and have been through a lot.  It was beautiful to watch and an amazing accomplishment!!!

I’m back from WA for good now, and I decided that I’d put all the overtime to good use to purchase a riding mower.  Erin saw that Lowes had a nice deal for some of their mowers, so we went and checked them out. I ended up purchasing the John Deere L115 riding mower:

It’s got a 19.5 hp engine with 42″ cutting width and automatic transmission.  With the deal, we also got a cart that can be towed.  Here’s the cart amidst assembly:

All attached:

It is fun to cut now, and much faster than the push mower.  It only took about 30 minutes to cut the lawn, which I ought to be able to shorten as I develop cutting patterns.

So, as most of you know, Nick is back in Seattle for a while for work.  I did go out with him last week.  It was so much fun…although it was a very interesting trip.

We flew from Huntsville to Charlotte, North Carolina, (wrong direction I know).  After boarding the plane here, the pilot came on and said Charlotte had announced a ground stop for us and we would be delayed 20 minutes…great 20 minutes of sitting on a hot, stuffy plane.  We did arrive in Charlotte pretty close to on time.  I, however, did get a rather large amount of attention at the airport in Charlotte.  The people there were facinated by my boot (the roller boot I have to wear again for my left ankle).  They were all quite amazed at how easily I could move around in it…the moving walkways helped.  After boarding the plane in Charlotte we headed out to the runway.  Once again the pilot came on.  Apparently, we were the only plane out on that long runway (he said we needed it because we were going all the way to Seattle)…and there was a line of storms directly over us…so we would have to wait…again.  Shortly after this announcement I began to notice something pouring out the luggage bins and air jets.  I asked Nick what he thought it was and, after thinking for a minute he said…”it’s raining outside” duh…hot air and cold air.  Right about the time I went back to reading my magazine other people began to notice this strange mist.  So, the flight attendant came on the speaker and said “what you are seeing is the cold air meeting the hot air…smoke has a smell.”  You could tell, just by the tone of her voice, that she really wanted to say “duh” at the end of her sentence, but she held back.  Once it the air, we noticed that this was going to be a much bumpier flight than before.  Apparently not everyone realizes that when the flight attendents won’t walk around the plane you probably shouldn’t either.  There was one person standing in the aisle, just chatting away as she held on for dear life.  The flight attendant got on the intercom and told her to sit down…she didn’t…but the entire plane did stare at her for a really long time.  The landing in Seattle was less then smooth…we came in a little fast and had to use the brakes…and reverse thrust…a lot…even Nick thought it was a lot…and that is saying something.

After getting our luggage and car we got back to the hotel around 11:30pm.  The first thing we noticed: the room smelled.  Number two: the phone didn’t work.  So, Nick headed to the front desk to complain.  The person there told him it was a problem the entire hotel was having and it would be corrected in the morning.  The next day we went shopping and to a Mariner’s game.  After that, we headed back to the hotel to clean and see if the phone worked.  It didn’t and neither did the internet.  Well, this is the way things went with the hotel for the next several days.  Every night Nick would, and I mean this literally, hit the phone until it worked and then use it to spend an hour on the phone with the internet people getting it working again.  Both so I could use it the next day and he could try to get some work done.  Not a very productive way of doing things.  On Friday we switched hotels.  The new one is clean and has internet (and a phone) that acutally works.  It is amazing.

While Nick was working I did manage to keep myself busy.  I went into where I used to work one day for lunch and had a great time catching up with everyone.  Nick and I then met one of the girls for lunch on Friday. I also saw my doctor out there and got my ankle checked (the doctor here wanted me to follow up with my ob…yeah right) and a cortisone injection in my shoulder (the ortho here doesn’t treat pregnant women).

Overall, we had a good time.  We got back yesterday around 11pm and Nick left here again today around 3:30pm (he didn’t want me flying by myself).  He was supposed to be back in Seattle by 8pm, but now it is looking more like 9pm or later.  Well…I think that is about it.  I am sure I didn’t cover everything, I probably only touched on a little bit.  I would’ve stayed longer, but the ob insisted I come back now, he did want me to go, but he didn’t want me gone for too long.

Erin and I have spent the past couple of weeks organizing the house and cleaning up a bit.  I’m going to be traveling a bit, so we wanted to get a head start on cleaning and organizing the nursery and the house in general.  Another reason we decided to take on the cleaning is because after playing with the car seat, my hands smelled like burnt plastic….not too pleasant.

We’ve washed clothes, towels, toys, bath toys, stroller/bouncy seat/etc covers and everything else you can think of.  For a while, we had things hanging in two bathrooms and out on the patio railing to dry.  After putting several loads of clothing (thanks everyone), we made a decent attempt at putting outfits back together.  After the shower, the kid has more clothes than Erin and I put together.

Well, both of us are feeling more prepared now.

So, Erin tries to make it sound like she was graceful on her way to the ground, it was not.  I saw it all…actually I didn’t see any of it.  When I looked over, while I was cutting the grass, she was sitting on the ground.  At first glance I thought she was pulling weeds, then I realized she was not near any weeds.  I realized she was not near any weeds and was holding her ankle.  Over the past few days, I’ve been trying to keep her sitting down with the foot elevated.  I would really love for her to use the boot, she uses it…occassionally.  I just hope that is resolve quickly.

Also, Erin put up pictures of the birthday cake she made me.  It was awesome, it was an airplane.

So, I thought I would post my version of the latest events before Nick got a chance to post his.  As everyone has by now realized, I am a little bit accident prone.  Yesterday, Nick and I were taking advantage of the very nice (and cool) weather here to get some yard work done.  While he was cutting the grass I was pulling weeds.  Well…while out on the driveway near the curb I sort of lost my balance…and very gracefully rolled my ankle completely over and gently sat down.  Yes, there were a couple of pops in my ankle.  Yes, it is the exact same ankle I broke last year.  Yes, it hurts in the exact same place as the brake.  Yes, I know that braking it last year makes me more prone to braking it again.  No, I do not plan to go to the doctor.  I already have the boot…what else would be done?  So, I either broke or badly sprained my ankle.  It doesn’t look too bad…just swollen and bruised.  The ob is going to love this one.  Ha ha ha.

I am sure Nick will post more later, but I wanted to put up a quick update.  We had the baby shower this weekend.  Thank you so much to everyone that was able to come, I had a lot of fun…and Nick had fun lunch.  I will put up some pictures later…we left Illinois before 4am yesterday (5-3) to avoid some bad storms here in AL…so we are both still pretty tired.